Love's Redemption
by Cizzymac
Summary: Two people seemingly incapable of love due to their dark pasts find comfort in each other's arms. However, at Hinata Sou, nothing is as easy as it seems. Covers three year gap near end of Volume 14. Primarily Kitsune/OC.
1. Prologue: Reminiscence

Disclaimer: I hold no rights to any Love Hina character. However, this story, as well as any original characters, belongs to me. Any dissemination of this story without expressed written consent will result in the carpet-bombing of your residence. Thanks, and enjoy!

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_It has long been said people should treat others as they treat themselves. It is rather surprising to see how true this is. Those that hate themselves hate others. Those that hurt inside hurt others. Those that love themselves find it much easier to love another. However, what if two people totally incapable of loving themselves due to their dark pasts suddenly fell in love with each other? Could that budding love survive a single cold day, let alone a harsh winter? Would the fire burn hot enough to melt their frozen hearts? Can they forgive each other for their faults, when they cannot forgive themselves?_

Love's Redemption: Prologue

It has been nearly a year since I have seen their faces. Or at least, seeing them in person. I have more pictures of them than I can count using every digit on my limbs. More than that, I speak to them nearly every week on the phone. My phone bills are astronomical, but it is an expense I can afford now. I miss them all dearly. They are my extended family.

But it is she that I miss the most. I think I started missing her about five minutes after I boarded the plane to Los Angeles. I have kept her picture taped to my locker door all season, just like when I was in Japan. In my line of work, focus is the key to success. And it is significantly easier to concentrate when you can eliminate distractions. She has been my heart and my mind's respite for quite some time now. She has given me a peace beyond my own understanding, and I will be forever grateful to her, both professionally and personally.

I wonder if she still thinks of me. Does she still share even half of the feelings that I harbor for her to this day? Has my absence made her heart grow fonder of me, or has she moved on to a new life with someone else? I could hardly blame her if she did. It would only be natural for her to find another man able to fulfill her desires. After all, we only shared that one, solitary intimate moment.

I received their invitation in the mail last week. I remember thinking something along the lines of "it's about damn time you two" when I saw it. I decided not to RSVP. Not because I do not want to be there, but rather, it will be well worth it to surprise them with an unexpected appearance. I can see the looks on their faces now! Just thinking about it makes me chuckle.

That day is today. In just a few hours, I will be boarding a plan to Tokyo again. I should arrive at Hinata Inn just in time for the ceremony. The first time I stepped through those doors, I had no idea what to expect, nor in my wildest dreams did I anticipate discovering love again. This time, I know exactly what to expect, and I know precisely what I want.

That desire is the love of one woman. A woman who saved my life without even knowing it. A woman who helped me to realize all of my hopes and dreams. A woman who released my heart from the chains of loneliness and despair, and allowed it to shine with a light all its own. The love she gave to me…was my redemption.

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A/N: Forgive the lack of length for this, but remember this is a prologue! Previous readers of this story may be disappointed that I have restarted this project, but I think you will be pleased with the results. It will be much improved over the last version, but will still retain many of the story elements. Hope to see some reviews from you readers, whether they are positive or negative. Thanks for reading, anyway!


	2. Swordplay

WARNING: Unless you have read the entire manga through volume 14, this fic will contain MASSIVE spoilers. Avoid reading this unless you either have read the manga completely or don't care about being spoilerized. Consider yourselves warned.

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Love's Redemption Chapter 1

The sun finally peeked its face over the craggy but verdant green mountains sweeping over the eastern horizon of the tiny village of Hinata Onsen. Perched atop this sleepy little town was the venerated Hinata Sou, once an inn that had been converted into a female dorm. The warmth from the massive globe struck this particular building unabated, while the remainder of the village remained under a blanket of fog.

Many inhabitants of Hinata Onsen considered this fog sacred. They said it was the breath of the gods waking from their slumber, their yawns sending the carpet of moisture over the village each morning. But Hinata Inn stood over the gray clouds. From the balcony of the dorm, it appeared as if there was no village at all, but merely one building overlooking a small valley leading to the ocean, where the haze made its slow crawl every day.

One particular individual was looking down on this sight just as the sun reared its head over the mountaintops. The glare of the fiery rays reflecting off of the surface of the miasma below caused this man to squint through his glasses as he peered over the town, watching the shadows of night cower in fear of the power of the raging ball of gas burning over 90 million miles away. He closed his eyes for a moment and inhaled deeply, as if to breathe in the warmth of the morning sun.

This man was named Keitaro Urashima. He was the landlord/manager/owner/janitor/etcetera of the Hinata dorm, thanks to the meddling of his strange but caring grandmother. After being surreptitiously kicked out of his own home (he was living with his parents), Hinata Sou was the only place he could stay. He would not have minded so much, until he discovered that his grandmother's inn had been converted into an all-girls dormitory, which he was then charged to look after while his grandmother took one last tour of the world.

After an initial misunderstanding with one of the tenants, Keitaro was thereby branded by the lot of girls living there as a pervert. He felt a certain kinship with the tenants however, especially the one named Naru Narusegawa. Although this particular girl had treated Keitaro most harshly during the first few months, they both soon discovered they were both chasing the same dream: to fulfill a promise made when they were both children to pass the entrance exams and attend the acclaimed Tokyo University. Keitaro falsely believed they had made the promise together, somehow thinking the gods were actually favoring him by bringing the both of them back together. This was found to be impossible due to their age difference, and the fact that Naru had made the promise to her tutor whom she admired.

After failing the test (third failure for Keitaro, first for Naru), both Naru and Keitaro decided to take a break from studying for a while. What they discovered was a blossoming romance, although neither would admit it at first. Only a full year later, after they had both passed the exam, did Keitaro finally reveal his true feelings for Naru, who finally came to terms with herself and her feelings for Keitaro after he chased her halfway around Japan.

It had been nearly two months since Keitaro and Naru wrote their feelings on that paper airplane in front of Tokyo University. Having fulfilled their promises, things began to progress wonderfully for them, as well as the other tenants. Today was to be a day of change, however. This day would change the lives of everyone living under the roof of that building. None of them were aware, not even Keitaro, although he knew that things were about to change.

"Urashima!" a stern voice called out from behind Keitaro.

Keitaro took one more deep breath before turning to face the person who the voice belonged to. Standing across the balcony was one of the tenants of Hinata Sou, named Motoko Aoyama. Just looking upon this young woman would tell anyone that she was not one to be trifled with. She was the tallest among all of the residents there, even standing a full inch taller than Keitaro himself. She was garbed in a baggy red and white training gi that hid her features. Whether or not Keitaro wished to admit it, he had carnal knowledge of everyone living in his building, and knew Motoko had a lithe, but muscular frame underneath the billows of her gi. Motoko's shoulder length raven-black hair was tied up into a tight bun, revealing her whole face. She had pale skin and dark, determined eyes that seemed to bore through Keitaro's soul. In each hand she held a training sword made of woven bamboo.

What made this particular girl special was her ability to wield such weapons. She was the retainer of the Shinmeiryu dojo, a renowned society known to battle and destroy demons. One such demon inhabited a certain sword found in the inn. Motoko, using one of the legendary Shinmeiryu ougi techniques, destroyed this demon. The blade once possessed by that demon now hung on a display case in her room. Despite these feats, Motoko still feels inadequate to ascend to the headmaster of Shinmeiryu, instead vying for Tokyo University. Following in the footsteps of her sempai Naru, Motoko failed her first attempt at Tokyo University, and was at present a ronin.

Motoko unceremoniously tossed one of the weapons over to Keitaro, who caught it gingerly in his hands. She then stepped into a relaxed yet trained combat stance, holding her weapon in front of her, pointing it in Keitaro's direction. With a devilish grin, Motoko intoned, "Are you prepared to meet your maker?"

Keitaro grasped the hilt of his weapon in his right hand and deftly twirled it several times. He then assumed a defensive posture and pointed his bokken at Motoko and said, "Ladies first." Keitaro then shot a playful wink at his opponent.

Motoko clenched her teeth in frustration. Keitaro knew full well she did not like being called a lady. Even though Motoko had long since come to terms with her femininity, she still considered the term "lady" a label for the weak. "Still your tongue, fiend, lest you lose it," Motoko riposted.

"Look at him, thinking he is just so cool with his pose and his words," came a voice from Keitaro's right and Motoko's left. "He just doesn't seem to understand that he doesn't stand a snowball's chance in hell of beating her fair and square. But I'm still rooting for you, Keitaro!"

Keitaro looked disgusted. "Thanks a lot, Kitsune-san."

Konno Mitsune, also known as the "fox", hence her nickname, giggled to herself as she leaned back, using her arms to prop her body up. She had disheveled, silvery brown hair that barely reached her shoulders topping her rounded oval-shaped face. The most interesting feature about her face, however, was her eyes. While they would appear to be always shut, giving her the fox-like appearance she was renowned for, when she does open her deep brown eyes, her beauty is powerful enough to stop freeway traffic. Her looks were not only in her face either. Keitaro once described her as "164 centimeters of curves". For the most part, however, Kitsune tended to wear conservative, business casual attire. Only on rare occasions did she wear anything close to resembling a dress.

And Kitsune knew how to use those looks to her advantage. A constant flirt, her silver tongue could beguile even the most wary male on earth, and empty his wallet before he knew what hit him. Kitsune had extorted poor Keitaro out of more money over the years than he could count. This unsurprisingly earned her a reputation of being somewhat of a con artist, but to those that knew her well, they knew she had a heart of gold. This fact is perhaps the only reason Keitaro never prosecuted her for her antics.

"Kick his ass, Motoko-chan," came another voice from next to Kitsune. There sat the object of all of Keitaro's affections, Naru Narusegawa, who high-fived Kitsune, her best friend. Garbed in a Toudai sweater, a short skirt and stockings, Naru stuck her tongue out at Keitaro and winked at him. Her long brown hair swayed in the breeze, and her soft brown eyes made Keitaro smile despite her rooting for his opponent.

It had been quite a while since the last time Keitaro had incurred Naru wrath, which was nearly unquenchable until Keitaro was launched into low earth orbit by her crushing fist, trademarked as the "Naru Punch". Seeing a body flying from the dorm was a common occurrence around Hinata Onsen until recently, when Naru and Keitaro finally became an official item. They had been through hell and back together, overcoming even a powerful curse that attempted to keep them apart. One little jab at Keitaro's ego could hardly tear open a rift between them.

"Go, go, Keitaro," screamed another girl with a heavy accent sitting in the audience. Keitaro swelled with pride. At least he had someone on his side, even if it was Kaolla Su. Kaolla was a dark-skinned foreign transfer student from the remote kingdom of Mol Mol. What is more is that Kaolla was actually the reigning princess of that particular kingdom. Despite her flippant nature, behind Kaolla's jade-colored eyes hid a magnificent mind, with her able to invent the most seemingly preposterous mechanisms, which usually blew up during beta testing, generally at Keitaro's expense. Su was the first to accept Keitaro as a friend and manager, possibly because Keitaro resembles Kaolla's brother. Moreover, during rare nights when the full moon shines crimson, Kaolla transforms into a beautiful woman, her longing for home manifesting itself magically.

"Good luck, sempai," cried another young girl. This voice belonged to Shinobu Maehara, another long-time resident at Hinata apartments. An unwitting victim of a rather rocky parental dispute, Shinobu, now 15 years old, was residing in the apartments since she was 12. She was the youngest of the tenants living under Keitaro's roof, but hardly the least useful. She had a natural knack for cooking, able to whip up all sorts of delicious food for the other residents. She also handled most of the laundry duties. Although Keitaro was either unwilling or too naïve to recognize it, Shinobu had a huge crush on the manager. She soon realized Keitaro's heart lied elsewhere. She reluctantly stepped aside, never fully revealing her feelings towards him. But a part of her still clung to hope that somehow Keitaro might be drawn to her. She had received no less than five confessions of love from random classmates and unceremoniously shot them all down.

Soon enough, the heckling and catcalls died down, and Motoko and Keitaro stared each other down for several tense moments. Keitaro turned his back leg slightly, preparing to charge Motoko, when he heard a familiar, high-pitched voice approaching from the stairway leading back into the building.

"Ah, wait for me, please! Don't start without me," the voice cried out between labored pants. Emerging from the portal was yet another woman. She was wearing a two-piece pajama outfit with crescent moons with yawning faces printed all over it. Her long, deep brown hair was disheveled, most likely from sleep. It was obstructing her face, but that did nothing to stop her from continuing to dash across the deck before running right into Naru's back. The woman toppled over Naru, who fell forward and found herself pinned underneath the other female.

"Kyaa, Mutsumi-san!" Naru cried out, trying to wiggle out of her fleshy prison. Mutsumi, however, lay as still as a stone. It took both Su and Kitsune to pry the dead weight off of Naru. Mutsumi wore the face of a corpse. Her eyes were stuck open and her mouth agape as if she was scared to death. Shinobu shrieked at the sight.

"She's okay, Shinobu," Naru said, sitting up and cradling Mutsumi's lifeless head in her lap. "She just lost consciousness again."

"Is everything okay over there, Narusegawa?" Keitaro asked. His gaze was still locked on Motoko, who returned his fierce stare with one of her own.

"Yeah, we're both fine," Naru replied. Had Keitaro taken a glance over at the look on Mutsumi's face, he would have called Naru a liar right to her face.

Mutsumi Otohime had been a resident at the Hinata dorm since an accident on New Year's Day in 2000 burned her apartment to the ground. Mutsumi is plagued with an anemic-like weakness that causes her to lose consciousness, and its effects consumed her when she ran up the stairs to the roof.

Of all the tenants, Mutsumi is the most enigmatic. She entered the lives of Keitaro and Naru during their unscheduled trip to Kyoto after failing the Toudai entrance examination the first time. After several interesting encounters with the brown-eyed beauty, including being the one to give both Naru and Keitaro their first kiss, Naru learned that Mutsumi might have been the girl Keitaro promised to meet at Toudai over 15 years ago. However, Mutsumi later revealed that she made the promise to another girl, and it could not have possibly been Keitaro, although she really did like him. All three of them managed to pass the exam the next year, and all are currently attending Toudai.

"Shall we then, Urashima?" Motoko asked, her voice dripping with venom. But she could not wipe the crooked grin from her face. She lived for this. This was her only outlet for her frustrations from studying for her upcoming Toudai examination.

Keitaro gripped his weapon in both hands and performed a customary salute. Motoko returned the favor. "Will you do the honors, Su-chan?"

"Hai!" Su scrambled to her feet and bounded between the two fighters. Glancing at both competitors, she raised a hand high over her head. After a dramatic pause, she dropped her arm and belted out, "Faito!"

Keitaro wasted no time. Like a cannon shot, he dashed past Su, spinning her around like a top. If he had been paying attention to her, he might have caught a glimpse of her panties as the centrifugal force blew up her school uniform's skirt. Instead, he was on Motoko in the blink of an eye. He brought down his bokken with an overhand slash, which Motoko deflected to her right, giving her leverage to riposte with a straight thrust. Keitaro spun away from the attack, positioning himself at Motoko's left flank. Continuing his spinning motion, Keitaro lashed out with his sword, aiming a horizontal slash at Motoko's head. She instinctively performed a split with her legs, swinging her weapon at Keitaro's knee, trying to trip him. With the grace of a cat, Keitaro performed a backward round off, easily avoiding the attack. He posed for Motoko as she rose back to her feet.

"Sugoi," Shinobu said, staring in awe at the battle before her.

"It's almost like a choreographed dance," Kitsune added.

Naru simply nodded dumbly, unconsciously stroking Mutsumi's hair, while Su whooped and hollered while jumping around the area.

"Well done, Urashima. You almost had me off balance for a moment there," Motoko commended her opponent, stretching her legs out.

"Losing nine times in a row makes one determined to win, Motoko-chan."

Motoko chuckled haughtily. "If you think that was enough to beat me, you still have much to learn, apprentice!"

Motoko bum rushed Keitaro, striking at him with a flurry of attacks. Turned back onto his heels, Keitaro could only play defensive, turning away and avoiding as many attacks as he could, waiting for the right moment to respond with an attack of his own. Motoko was unrelenting, however. Motoko stepped into Keitaro, reaching back over her head to bring down a crushing blow. _"She's too close," _Keitaro thought to himself. He seized the opportunity. Motoko's attack met only air as Keitaro slid behind her. He raised his bokken, quickly crashing it down onto Motoko's back.

But the pleasing sound of wood meeting flesh did not reach Keitaro's ears. Motoko blocked his attack by instinctively dropping her weapon behind her back.

Kitsune jumped to her feet, raising her wooden hand fans with the image of Japan's national flag on them. "Amazing! She blocked it!"

Keitaro looked dumbfounded as Motoko leapt away from him, landing on the other side of the platform. His facial expression clearly read, "How the hell?"

But Motoko offered no answer. Instead, she held her weapon out in front of her. In an almost imperceptible whisper, she intoned, "Shinmeiryu ougi." Her body glowed with a dull white aura.

"It's over," Naru said nonchalantly.

Shinobu cupped her hands over her mouth.

"Happy trails, Keitaro," Kitsune said, waving her hand fans in his direction.

Su giggled madly.

With a war cry that would have shaken a battle-hardened warrior, Motoko released her attack. "Zanganken!" With a wave of her weapon, Motoko shot a blast of ki energy directly at Keitaro, who was still standing there looking stupefied. He suddenly snapped from his daze, and charged headlong at the ki attack quickly approaching him.

Kitsune raised an eyebrow at this. "He's finally lost it! He's committing suicide."

There was a collective gasp as Keitaro somersaulted high into the air just before the moment of impact. He had a clear shot at Motoko, who was still bent over, spent from releasing her Rock Splitting Sword.

Naru almost tossed Mutsumi off of her lap. "He's got her!"

Time seemed to slow down for all parties as gravity took hold of Keitaro, bringing him towards his target. "It's over, Motoko!"

A smirk appeared on Motoko's face. "You are right, Urashima, it is over."

With blinding speed, Motoko lashed out at Keitaro with her wooden sword. "Zankusen!"

A volley of energy hit Keitaro squarely in the chest, sending him rocketing in the opposite direction. As his flailing body faded from sight, a scream of "Why?" went with him. A small flash appeared as Keitaro became one with the stars.

Raucous applause exploded from the audience as they cheered Motoko for her victory. This marked the tenth time in a row Keitaro was defeated. Motoko dusted herself off as the other girls led Motoko back into the apartment building, showering her with adulation.

Mutsumi, left alone on the platform, at last stirred from her sleep and bolted upright, her eyes snapping open. She glanced around the area, muttering to herself. Realizing she was alone, she said, "Oh, I missed it again!" She then bonked herself on the head.

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Meanwhile, at 300 feet above the town, Keitaro finally regained his bearings. "Well, that one wasn't quite as bad as the last one," he said for his own benefit. He stole one quick view of the horizon, which was breathtaking from his vantage point, giving him a view of most of the surrounding area, including the sea.

The fog was beginning to break below him, and he surmised that he would land between two local shops in town. Being launched several times a week over the course of a few years gave him a strong first-hand knowledge of trajectory. "FORE!" he screamed out, alerting anyone who might be below him.

As he broke through the dissipating fog, he saw someone standing directly in his path. "Look out," he cried, raising his hands to his head to protect himself. At the very last moment, Keitaro could have sworn he recognized the person as he looked back at him. But there was no time to think. He crashed into the man below him, knocking them both out cold.

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A/N: Now, I realize a lot of this chapter may have seemed boring to some of you, but I wanted to give a solid background to each of the characters for those who may not be completely familiar with them all, and give those that do a quick refresher.

Thanks for the reviews on the prologue, and to all those who read it. Please review this chapter as well. Let me know what you think so far.

Preview for chapter 2: Keitaro has some explaining to do. Why does he want to quit as manager, and who is the guy he ran into while plunging from the heavens?


	3. Greetings

Love's Redemption: Chapter 2

"Next stop, Hinata Onsen. This is the last stop," blared on the overhead speakers, jolting the young man who had been napping back into consciousness. Rising from his prone position, he rubbed his eyes and stifled a yawn, gazing out of the window behind his seat.

"It's as beautiful as he described it," he said to himself. A dense fog rolled over the plains and enveloped the surrounding buildings, which were now appearing with increasing regularity. Dawn had not yet broken, but the sun's ascent was beginning, as the darkness blanketing the sky in the east had broken into the dull red of heated metal.

The train the young man was aboard began to brake audibly, alerting all of the passengers that their destination was approaching.

"Alright," the young man said aloud in English, his accent alerting the sparse passengers around him that he was American, if they weren't sure from his appearance. He stood up, his six-foot frame towering over everyone else on the train. He removed his baseball cap, quickly wiped the sweat from his brow with his forearm, and replaced the cap in its previous position on his head. He pulled his belongings: a sports bag and a large suitcase, from under his seat, and filched a small sheet of paper from one of the pockets on the side of his suitcase. The American quickly perused it to verify it was what he was looking for.

The train finally made a complete stop and the monotone voice spoke over the intercom, "Welcome to Hinata Onsen. Please be careful as you step off the train." The American threw the sports bag over his shoulder, picked up his suitcase and made his way toward the exit, trying his best to avoid crushing the other passengers with his equipment.

"Sumimasen," he said apologetically numerous times to the people around him that he nudged with his belongings. Nevertheless, he was greeted with numerous dour looks and equally impolite responses.

Finally, the young man found an exit and stepped off the train, only to be enveloped by the fog caking the environment. "How can anyone see in this mess," he wondered, squinting in every direction. He couldn't see any further than ten feet in any direction, so he decided to consult his sheet of paper again. He shuffled over to a nearby bench, unceremoniously dropped his bag and suitcase, and plopped his rump into the bench with a sigh.

He held the sheet of paper closely to his face so he could read it, when a sudden gust of wind blew across the area, nearly ripping his baseball cap off of it's perch. Momentarily distracted, he jerked his arm up to keep his hat on his hand, and simultaneously loosed his grip on his sheet of paper!

"Oh no!" he exclaimed as we watched the sheet of paper disappear into the thick folds of dense vapor. "Great," he grumbled, frustrated. "Now how the hell am I gonna find Hinata Inn?"

The jingling of several small bells perked up the American's ears. An elderly man dressed in a simple but decorative robe emerged from the haze and approached the young man.

"You are looking for Hinata Sou, young one?" he asked.

"You can speak English," was the only reply the American could come up with.

Chuckling slightly, the old man replied, "No, actually, I am speaking to you in Spanish."

The American peered quizzically at the old man for a moment before realizing it was a joke. He forced a short laugh before saying, "Yes, actually I am looking for Hinata Inn."

"I can show you the way," the old man replied with an earnest smile nodding his head.

"That would be great. I appreciate it," the American replied, his face beaming. Gathering his things, he and the old man made their way into town.

No more than twenty minutes later, the young man found he regretted ever accepting the old man's invitation. He was dreadfully slow, his walking pace almost as unbearable as his exhaustive stories about dreams, reality, and promises interspersed with the entire history of each building they passed. By this time, the sun had just peeked from its hiding place beyond the eastern mountains, illuminating the area.

Now able to actually see what was in front of him, the young man considered abandoning the old man to search for Hinata Inn himself. As he went about apologizing to the old man for the inconvenience and leave, the old man suddenly stopped and said, "Ah, here we are."

"Where is it?" the young man asked, looking around the area. He did not see anything resembling an inn.

Pointing to a long staircase up the tallest hill in the area just 15 yards off, the old man replied in his raspy voice, "Just up those stairs, there." Glancing around the area the old man was pointing to, the young man spotted the staircase tucked behind a nearby building.

The sound of small bells ringing reached the American's ears again as he turned to thank the old man for his help, but he had mysteriously vanished. Darting his eyes around, the flustered American muttered, "Thanks, old timer, wherever you went to."

The old man's voice, seemingly out of nowhere, said, "Remember your promises." The young man gazed around the area, searching for the origin of the voice, but he soon realized the voice came from within his own head. He blinked several times, and shook his head in annoyance, turning to the staircase.

He had not taken four steps toward the staircase when a new sound, this time what sounded like an explosion coming from somewhere at the top of the hill, rocked the American's eardrums. He looked up to see what had happened, but the fog above his head obscured his vision. Then, suddenly, a faint voice, which was becoming rapidly louder, screamed, "fooooooooOOOOOOOORE!"

A shadow in the shape of a flailing human appeared directly over the American's head, becoming larger with incredible speed. He peered at the approaching shadow, muttering, "What the fu-AAAAGH!" The shadow broke through the grey soup in the form of a spectacled young Japanese man who the American immediately recognized.

Unfortunately, there was no time to react. The falling body slammed into the young American, sucking the air out of his lungs and slamming his body into the cobblestone.

Before succumbing to the peaceful darkness of unconsciousness, he gasped a final breath of air and stammered, "K-Keitaro." His eyes rolled back into his head and he passed out, Keitaro's prone body draped across his own.

The shroud of darkness faded from Keitaro's mind as he slowly regained consciousness. He vaguely remembered his fall, and the ensuing impact that followed, and he gasped as he realized he had landed on someone! He stood up swiftly and immediately regretted it. A wave of pain assaulted his head and chest and he realized that they obviously absorbed the majority of the impact.

A groan escaped the mouth of the person who Keitaro had landed on. A pained expression crossed Keitaro's face and he slowly turned to look in the direction of the groan, as if expecting some grotesque image. Instead, his eyes met a person he knew quite well. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped like a sack of bricks at the sight of his American friend lying in a heap on the ground, his luggage strewn about.

"Oh my God," Keitaro exclaimed, leaping over to his fallen friend's side. "Are you alright, Jake?"

By this point, the American, named Jake, had begun to stir and, without even trying to sit up, he put his hand on his head, searing pain coursing through it. Thankfully, he wasn't bleeding, at least as far as Keitaro could tell.

"Did anyone catch the number on that four-eyed shrimp?" Jake sarcastically asked with a chuckle. "Nice job, Keitaro. I needed a headache. Could you help me up, please?"

Keitaro stood himself up and lent a hand to his friend, pulling him to his feet. After dusting themselves off for a moment and after Jake reclaimed his things, Keitaro asked, "I'm glad you're okay! What brings you to Japan?"

A pall of silence fell on the area and Jake looked at Keitaro as if he had snakes on his head instead of hair. "What, is there something on my face?" Keitaro asked, rubbing at his nose.

Jake blinked his eyes and shook his head to break his reverie and, in his calmest voice, told Keitaro, "You invited me here. Don't you remember when we talked on the phone last month?"

This time it was Keitaro's turn to stand in stunned silence. "Ahhhh, yeah," he said when the realization dawned on him. "I guess I forgot."

Jake suddenly fell face-first onto the cobblestone. "But, hey, I remember now, so why don't we head back to Hinata Inn so I can introduce…" Keitaro's voice suddenly trailed off.

Rising back to his feet, Jake asked, "What? Introduce what?"

"Oh no," Keitaro mumbled, hanging his head. He slapped himself repeatedly on the forehead, muttering all sorts of unprintables.

With an exasperated sigh, Jake asked, "What did you do now? Or is it something you didn't do again?"

Keitaro slowly turned to face his friend, and replied, "I totally forgot to tell the girls."

Jake's face met the cobblestone for the third time that morning.

"At any rate, I'm sure they'll understand if I just explain it to them," Keitaro said cheerfully. "They should have breakfast ready by now and I'm sure you are hungry. Come on." Keitaro waved at his friend to follow him to the staircase leading to the inn. Standing on wobbly legs and not fully trusting Keitaro's evaluation of the situation, Jake hauled up his luggage and warily followed Keitaro to the staircase.

As they began their ascent, Jake glanced at Keitaro and asked, "So they have no idea I'm coming?" Keitaro simply shook his head. "And you are sure they are going to be okay with this?" Jake asked in a more concerned tone. Keitaro nodded, albeit weakly. It did not instill any confidence into Jake. "Well, I hope so, Keitaro, because I have no way home if they don't accept me."

"Don't worry," Keitaro replied, slapping his good friend on the back, "I'll take care of it."

They finally broke through the fog near the top of the stairs and both men were forced to cover their eyes for a moment against the sudden bright glare of the sun. Glancing back and seeing the blanket of moisture covering the whole town, Jake asked, "Is it always this foggy?"

"There's more on some days than others, but generally yes," Keitaro replied. They reached the apex of the stairs, and the splendor of Hinata Inn reached Jake's gaze. He stood in admiration for a moment at the beauty and sheer size of the building before Keitaro urged him on, saying, "Come on in. Let's get you settled." Jake broke from his stare and followed Keitaro to the front door.

Upon reaching the entrance, Keitaro stopped for a moment, slowly and deliberately releasing all the air from his lungs. "If they get mad," Keitaro said, "don't worry. They aren't mad at you. They are mad at me."

"Well that makes me feel a lot better already," Jake replied sarcastically. They both shared a nervous chuckle before Keitaro threw the doors open and stepped in, waving at Jake to follow.

Stopping a moment to steel his nerves, Jake closed his eyes, took a deep breath, exhaled, and nodded. He stepped on to the hardwood floor, noting that Keitaro was removing his shoes, and followed suit. Keitaro belted out, "I'm back everyone! There's someone here I'd like you all to meet!"

A million scenarios passed through Jake's mind in the moment it took for Keitaro's greeting to be acknowledged. Even though Keitaro always spoke highly of all the tenants living at Hinata Inn, Keitaro had not brought any pictures of them along with him. "_What do they all look like? Will they like me? What if they don't? What will I do? I don't have anywhere else to go!_" Jake felt his hands shaking slightly due to his nerves and he took a quick breath to calm himself.

A voice from beyond the door at the back of the spacious hallway began to speak, becoming increasingly louder, "Boy Keitaro, you sure got your butt kicked aga-eh?" Jake saw a young girl with very long light brown hair appear from beyond one of the doors. She was wearing a bright yellow sweatshirt, a short red skirt and dark leggings. Her sheer beauty took him aback. She approached more slowly, asking Keitaro, "Who is this?" Grabbing Jake by the arm and dragging him toward the vision of loveliness standing in the back of the hall, Keitaro replied, "Narusegawa, this is Jake, one of the Americans I studied with while I visited there after breaking my leg. Jake, this is Narusegawa, the girl I told you about."

Jake stood slack-jawed at this revelation. He thought to himself, "_This is your girlfriend? You lucky bastard_." Realizing he'd forgotten where he was for a moment, Jake snapped to attention, and introduced himself with a deep bow. "My name is Jake. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Naru returned his bow out of politeness if not out of curiosity. "You speak Japanese very well," she replied.

"Thank you, I studied for several years before Keitaro came to my university to study archaeology with me. Now I am pretty fluent," was Jake's reply.

Naru asked, "What brings you to Japan?" Jake simply glanced at Keitaro, and a huge sweat-drop formed on Keitaro's head. Keitaro nervously replied, "Well, I need to talk to you all about that. You see, uh…"

As if on cue, another voice interrupted Keitaro. "Ara, ara! Who is this?" Narusegawa and Keitaro knew who it was without looking, but Jake's peered behind Naru to see who was speaking. His eyes widened when he saw another young female, once again with long hair, but hers was a dark brown. Her soft expression was lovely, and her eyes captivated him for a short moment. She was dressed in a green long-sleeved shirt with long overalls with a skirt instead of pants. Her modest dress did nothing to hide her womanly figure. Jake felt his face become flushed as the woman approached him, saying, "Ah, you must be one of Kei-kun's American friends."

She held out her right hand in introduction, stating, "I'm Mutsumi Orohime. It's nice to finally meet you." Keitaro and Narusegawa stood by, staring in disbelief.

Keitaro pointed at Jake and asked, "How did you know he was my friend, Mutsumi-san?"

A confused look passed over Mutsumi's face and she replied, "Isn't it obvious?"

A cloud of dust billowed where Keitaro and Narusegawa crashed to the ground.

Jake recovered enough from the strangeness of the situation to introduce himself properly. "A-anyway, I'm Jake. The pleasure is mine," Jake said to Mutsumi, grasping her hand with his own in a formal handshake. Jake thought, "_She's so delicate, it's as if a stiff wind would knock her over_." As he loosed her hand, he suppressed a grin as his mind added, "_She's hot_."

Mutsumi clapped her hands lightly and asked, "How long are you staying? What brings you here to this small village?"

Keitaro interjected, "I was just explaining to Narusegawa…"

Keitaro was interrupted again by yet another female voice, this one a touch more whiny. "What's going on out here? I'm so hungry I could eat a, oh hello there," the voice said. In unison, all four people standing in the hall once again turned to face the door.

Standing in the doorway was a shorthaired, platinum blonde woman dressed in a long-sleeved violet shirt tucked into a pair of beige slacks. Jake raised an eyebrow instinctively as he observed that the woman was facing him, but her eyes were closed.

Taking the initiative this time, Jake stepped forward and said, "Hello. I'm Jake. I'm one of Keitaro's friends from America," while bowing deeply at the hip.

"Quite the formal one, eh? All right, I'll bite," The woman replied. "My name is Mitsune Konno, but everyone around here calls me Kitsune." Kitsune reached out and grabbed Jake's right hand with her own, giving him a firm handshake.

"Pleasure to meet you, Kitsune." Jake couldn't help grinning at Kitsune's laid-back attitude.

Kitsune nudged Mutsumi in the ribs playfully with her elbow and said to her in a voice loud enough for all to hear, "He's pretty cute, ne?"

Mutsumi beamed at Kitsune and half-whispered to her, "I was just thinking the same thing."

Keitaro screamed, "We can all hear you!"

Naru rolled her eyes and shook her head at the two girls' immodesty. Jake simply stood there, his face completely flushed.

Another female voice belted out from beyond the door, "Breakfast is ready! Come and get it!"

"Finally," Narusegawa said. "Let's discuss this over some food. You are hungry, aren't you, Jake?"

Jake smiled and nodded at Naru, replying, "I'm famished! I haven't eaten a real meal or slept in a bed since I took off from Los Angeles. And whatever is cooking in there smells really good."

Keitaro saw an opportunity to delay his announcement long enough for everyone to hear it and quickly spouted, "Alright, let's eat then! I'll introduce Jake to everyone else and tell you all why he's here."

One at a time, they each filed through the door, with Jake holding Keitaro back by the shirt. When the girls had filed out, Jake whispered to Keitaro, "My God, man. Those chicks are hot as hell! You are one lucky son-of-a-gun."

Keitaro got a stern look on his face, wiping Jake's smile clean off. "Sure, they are all beautiful, but you don't know how they are."

Jake was not about to be knocked off his cloud. "It really doesn't matter how they are. I'm sure I can take anything they can dish out."

Keitaro chuckled. His friend sounded a lot like him at one time. "We'll see," Keitaro said, motioning Jake towards to door.

Jake pulled Keitaro back again. "Are you certain they are gonna be okay with me taking over here? I really don't want to impose."

Keitaro beamed with poise. "I said I would take care of it, Jake. And I will."

Keitaro's apparent solidarity did nothing to bolster Jake's confidence. He looked Keitaro dead in the face and stated plainly, "Alright then. I'm trusting you with this."

Keitaro's demeanor changed to one of focus and determination and he nodded curtly at Jake. "Alright, let's get something to eat. I'll let them in on it after they've eaten Shinobu's cooking. That ought to help keep their tempers in check."

"Which one is Shinobu again?" Jake replied.

"Come on, I'll introduce you to the other three girls living here," Keitaro said, waving at Jake to follow him through the door.

"There are three more?" Jake asked incredulously. Keitaro just motioned Jake to follow. Jake took one more deep breath and followed Keitaro through the door to the dining area.

* * *

Author's Note: Well, it's about time I got busy writing something. This is the result. I think it's much better than the previous versions. Thanks for reading. More to come soon.


	4. Democracy

Disclaimer: On Chapter 1. Not gonna re-write it every time.

* * *

Love's Redemption: Chapter 3

Jake stepped into the dining area behind Keitaro, the sweet aroma of a hot meal tickling his nostrils. Directly in front of him was a large dining room table with eight chairs. There were seven place setting set out in front of them. The three women he'd just met took their seats at the table in such a manner that suggested to Jake they had some sort of assigned seating arrangements.

Jake noticed two other young women already seated at the table that he did not recognize. One had her face buried in some sort of textbook. Jake was unable to tell what she looked like, and moreover, since he still had not mastered kanji, he could not decipher what course of study she was reading. She had raven black hair down to her shoulder blades that was tied back in a tight ponytail. She had a plain white hand towel, immaculately folded in thirds, draped across her left shoulder. She appeared to be whispering the words aloud to herself, as if puzzled by the language of the text. Nevertheless, she did not remove her eyes from the pages, even as the shadows of the others passed before the pages she was absorbed into.

The other girl, obviously younger than her counterparts, made Jake's eyes weary just looking at her. She had a deep tan golden blonde hair and striking jade eyes, and Jake was disconcerted by her apparent inability to sit still. She constantly fidgeted in her seat, between putting her bare feet up on the table, turning sideways and leaning against the chair back, and leaning her elbows on the table, resting her head on her hands. Jake recognized she was at least a middle school student, being dressed in a simple school uniform consisting of a short-sleeved white blouse and a blue knee-length skirt. Her bright, alert eyes danced about as if she was trying to take the whole world into her brain's synapses all at once. However, she had somehow failed to notice a stranger's presence.

Keitaro leaned over to Jake and whispered, "Wait here, I'll get Shinobu and another place setting for you."

Jake nodded at Keitaro and shifted his weight to lean against the door jam. Keitaro moved off to the right side of the room and disappeared behind the door leading to the kitchen area. After several moments, another young girl entered the room, carrying some prepared food.

"_That must be Shinobu_," Jake noted to himself. Jake noticed how tall she was, or rather, how short she was. "_She couldn't be any taller than four-ten in heels_," he thought to himself. She had deep blue hair and eyes, and she wore an apron over her school uniform, as well as a sincere, innocent smile. "_Tenshi…that word describes her perfectly_," Jake thought, a smile creeping across his face.

All of the girls seated at the table, except the one buried in the textbook, whooped and hollered when Shinobu placed the food on the table. Shinobu then turned and exited back into the kitchen without looking in Jake's direction. Jake rolled his eyes at the realization that Keitaro hadn't even mentioned him to the cook yet.

"_I'll just introduce myself then_," he thought. As soon as he stepped forward and opened his mouth to speak, Keitaro reappeared from the portal to the kitchen.

"Everyone," Keitaro said, stretching his arms out to his sides, as if to embrace someone, "I'd like to introduce a friend of mine."

The fidgety girl suddenly stopped and looked at Keitaro, but the girl, spellbound by the textbook, merely ignored him. "Motoko-chan? Motoko-chan?" Keitaro repeated, waving his arms, trying to capture the girl's attention.

Kitsune held up one finger and started to count with her hand. A devilish grin passed over each of the girls' faces and Keitaro covered his ears with his hands. As soon as Kitsune reached three, all of the girls at the table belted out, "MOTOKO-CHAN!!!" Motoko literally flipped her book into the air and jumped in sheer horror and genuine surprise.

"What the hell?" Motoko said in intense annoyance. At once, all the girls seated at the table pointed at Keitaro. Motoko peered at Keitaro for a moment before grinning fiendishly at him, recalling his defeat in the sparring match earlier in the day. "Oh, you're back. I hadn't noticed," she said haughtily.

"N, now that I have everyone's attention, I'd like to introduce a friend of mine." Keitaro gestured in Jake's direction and Jake moved next to him, sheepishly waving hello. "Everyone, this is Jake Robertson. We met while I was studying in America with Seta-san!"

"We already know who he is, you fop," Naru replied in a huff, turning her head away in annoyance and folding her arms across her chest.

Keitaro snapped back, "Motoko-chan and Su-chan haven't! Besides, a formal introduction is more appropriate." Naru, confronted with surprisingly sound reasoning from the ronin, simply waved at Keitaro in a dismissive gesture for him to continue.

Keitaro placed a hand on Jake's shoulder and prodded him closer to the table, in the direction of the overactive blonde. "Jake, this is Kaolla Su." Jake waved at Su and nodded his head at her in recognition. Su smiled and waved back at him.

"Su-chan is our resident inventor and banana eater," Keitaro said.

"You forgot place kicker, Keitaro," Kitsune said with a grin.

"Ah, yes, Kitsune-san. She does have an…affinity for kicking things," Keitaro said as he nodded in Jake's direction.

Without missing a step, Kitsune replied, "No, just your head, Keitaro." Giggles rang out from the others seated at the table.

Keitaro changed gears, trying to keep the train on the track. He turned Jake in the direction of the raven-haired girl. "Jake, this is Motoko Aoyama."

Jake stretched across the table and extended his hand to Motoko in greeting. Motoko glanced at Jake's hand for a moment without moving. "_What's her problem? I'm just offering a handshake. She should at least know about that western custom_," Jake worried to himself.

Motoko finally reached out, albeit cautiously, and clasped Jake's hand in a firm handshake. Jake responded in kind by applying more pressure, but Motoko simply added more force whenever Jake squeezed harder. Before he realized what was happening, pain began shooting through his hand.

Jake finally broke the handshake before he either broke her hand or she broke his, saying, "You are quite strong. I like that. It's nice to meet you." Motoko adopted a look of disdain and harrumphed at him before plopping back into her seat.

A confused look passed over Jake's face and the room stood in an uncomfortable silence for a moment before Keitaro nervously said, "Well, Jake will be joining us…for breakfast today if you all don't mind."

Jake shot a glance at Keitaro who responded by nodding curtly at him. Kitsune slapped her hand on the butt-rest on the empty seat next to her and offered invitingly, "Here's a seat for you right here." Jake once again glanced at Keitaro, who nodded approvingly. Jake then took his seat between Kitsune and Mutsumi, who grinned at each other and giggled. Jake steeled his nerves for what was sure to be a very tense half-hour.

Shinobu, sans apron, reentered the room. She saw an unfamiliar face at the table and said, "Um, who is this?"

Keitaro whipped around and faced Shinobu. "Ah, Shinobu-chan. This is a friend of mine from America, Jake!"

Shinobu smiled politely at Jake and bowed deeply at the waist, saying in a sugary tone, "I'm Shinobu Maehara. It's nice to meet you, Jake." Jake stood and returned the deep bow with a smile.

"If you haven't noticed already, Jake," Keitaro said, "Shinobu is our head chef and chore lady."

Jake nodded as he turned his attention to Shinobu. "That's great that someone so young has such great talents."

Jake returned to his seat with Shinobu sitting directly across from him, her cheeks tinged with pink in embarrassment at his flattery. Motoko finally closed her book and placed it on the floor underneath her chair. Jake watched as all of the table's occupants brought their hands together and bowed their heads to pray. Jake, not wanting to appear ignorant to their eastern customs, followed suit.

All at once, and at the top of their voices, everyone at the table except Jake belted, "Itadakimasu!" Jake's surprise at the volume of the sound caused him to nearly jump out of his seat. They all chuckled at Jake's overreaction and began to serve themselves breakfast.

Everyone enjoyed a casual breakfast, excepting for Jake, who was being hounded by the flirts, Mutsumi and Kitsune. After about fifteen minutes, Kitsune, with her most sultry voice, finally asked the inevitable question, "So what brings you to our beautiful country?"

Jake paused for a moment; noticing how close Kitsune had leaned over to him he replied, "Um, maybe you should ask Keitaro." Mustumi and Kitsune shared a confused look with each other and turned to Keitaro. Mutsumi asked Keitaro, "Urashima-kun, Ja-kun says we should ask you why he's here?"

"_Ja-kun?"_ Jake raised an eyebrow.

Keitaro thought, "_Well, there's no sense holding out any longer. I'll just tell them and face the consequences_." Keitaro stood up and boomed over the din, "Everyone, I have an announcement to make."

The conversation at the table slowly quieted and Keitaro waited until he had everyone's attention. "Jake is here for a specific reason beyond breakfast, and I hope this is okay with all of you."

Naru looked quizzically at Keitaro and asked, "What do you mean?"

Keitaro took a deep breath and said, "The thing is, after breaking my leg and missing a whole semester at Toudai, I've fallen behind Narusegawa in my studies. I'd like to try to catch up with her, but unfortunately, that means I need to take on more classes. In order for me to do this, I'll need to quit being your manager for a while. And I'd like Jake to take over the position for me while I'm catching up." Keitaro bowed deeply and said, "Please accept him as your new manager."

A tense moment of silence fell over the room and after a few seconds, Keitaro lifted his head and looked around at everyone's reaction. A look of shock is what he saw on each of the ladies' faces. Jake started to push himself away from the table slightly, ready to bolt any second.

Naru finally broke the tension, jumping to her feet and exclaiming, "What do you mean, you're quitting?"

"Narusegawa, we discussed this. I thought you wanted me to catch up to you so we'd graduate at the same time," Keitaro countered.

"Yeah, we talked about it for like 5 minutes! We didn't come to any sort of decision, though!" Naru barked back.

Keitaro shook his head vehemently. "I clearly remember you saying I should do what I want to do."

Naru shook her head right back. "No, Keitaro, I never said that. You must have been having another of your perverted dreams again."

Keitaro blushed furiously. A crooked grin crept upon his face. "Yeah, I guess you didn't after all."

Naru reached back with her right fist and yelled, "BAKA", slamming her fist into Keitaro face, sending him flying across the room, his body slamming against the opposing wall.

Motoko stood, grabbed her sword, still in its scabbard and pointed it at Jake, who was halfway to the door, yelling, "Explain yourself! Why are you here? Why do you want to manage an all girls dorm?"

Jake raised his hands and backed away, saying, "It's just like Keitaro said. I need a place to stay while I'm training."

Kitsune asked, "Training for what?"

Jake ran into the wall next to the door. He had two angry-looking females hovering over him. He stood much taller than even Motoko, but for some reason, they seemed to tower over him. "Well, I'm a baseball player, a pitcher actually, and I want to play professionally," he explained.

Shinobu, who looked the calmest of any of the young women, Su included, chimed in, "Why in Japan? You have your own professional teams in America."

While Jake was playing '20 questions', Keitaro recovered from the crushing Naru-punch, and looked up from his prone position to see the blurred form of Naru standing over him, glaring. Mutsumi stood right behind her, trying to pay attention to both conversations at once.

Naru screamed at him, "Damn it, you baka! What the hell are you trying to pull?"

Keitaro cringed at first, but he responded with uncharacteristic force. "I'm doing this for you, Narusegawa! I want to graduate with you so you aren't waiting for me for another year! Can't you tell?"

Naru gasped slightly, surprised by Keitaro's mushy, yet compellingly persuasive, response. However, she wasn't about to give up her argument so quickly. "How can we trust this man? He's a complete stranger to us!"

"Do you honestly think I would do anything to put any of you in danger, Narusegawa? Keitaro asked, pulling himself to his feet.

Naru played her trump card. "I don't know. Would you, you pervert?"

Keitaro gnashed his teeth at that word. However, he saw through the ruse. "You know me better than that, Narusegawa. Besides, would you rather me call Shirai or Haitani?"

Naru mentally snapped her fingers. She opened her mouth several times to retort, but she could not find a fitting retort. Keitaro, on the other hand, realized he had the upper hand. Not wasting the opportunity, he quickly went in for the kill. "Or maybe Kentaro?" he said, showing atypical daring.

Naru, now visibly sweating, turned to Mutsumi to bail her out of her quickly unraveling argument. However, Mutsumi was listening to the other conversation, wholly ignoring the two lovebirds. Realizing she was defeated, Naru slumped to her knees. "You win, Keitaro," she garbled, her head hanging.

Keitaro pulled his love to her feet. "It is not about winning or losing, Narusegawa, it is about doing what is best for everyone. I can't be expected to be the manager here forever. Besides, like I said, I'm doing this for you. I mean, for us."

Naru's eyes went misty for a moment. "I didn't realize you cared so much, Keitaro. I'm sorry I doubted you." She wrapped her arms around Keitaro in a tight embrace.

Keitaro ran his fingers through Naru's hair. "I love you, Narusegawa." Naru reciprocated Keitaro's professed love with a warm buss on the lips.

Naru released Keitaro and, gazing into his eyes, said, "We'd better save him before they rip him to shreds, eh?" Keitaro chuckled and nodded his approval.

The conflict on the other side of the room raged on. Jake explained himself as best he could. He told them how he signed up for an archaeology class as an elective course, where he met Keitaro and Seta. They both stayed with Jake, who happened to have previously learned Japanese as a part of his business major.

Su, observing to this point, spoke up. "So you graduated from college and tried out for some American teams, but they thought you sucked. A few weeks after, wallowing in your own misery, Keitaro called to see how you were doing. After explaining your situation, he told you he was thinking about stepping down as manager here, but he had no one he could trust to replace him. A few days later, Keitaro called you back and said Japan's pro baseball organizations were holding open tryouts in a few weeks and suggested you come to Japan. After telling him you could only afford a one-way ticket, he decided he'd give you a place to stay here, so long as you manage this place. Am I right so far?" Jake nodded at the girl, silently wishing she hadn't been so blunt.

Mutsumi, passively observing until this point, chimed in, saying, "This is somewhat strange, but it makes sense. If Kei-kun trusts him, I can too."

Keitaro, and Naru joined with Mutsumi and the others. Keitaro affirmed, "That's right, Mutsumi-san. I do trust him, wholeheartedly. I would never think of endangering any of you by leaving you with someone I did not trust completely."

Motoko placed her hands on her hips and scoffed, "Well, I don't trust him. How can we trust someone we don't even know?"

Naru jumped in, using Keitaro's argument, "Would you prefer Keitaro's…other friends?"

Motoko grimaced, unable to keep the horrible mental images at bay and found herself shaking her head. "Those two four-eyed lechers? No way!"

Naru leaned toward Motoko with a cockeyed grin. "And Kentaro?"

Kitsune laughed. "He would put the place out of business in two months, or turn the place into a harem."

Motoko shook her fist for a moment in sheer frustration before giving up. "So there really is no choice, after all."

After a moment of silence, Su chimed in again, "What about a vote?"

Motoko, sensing new life in her argument, swiftly spoke up, "Yes! A vote! A vote is the only fair way to decide!" Keitaro sighed deeply and relented. He owned the place. He did not need anyone to vote on his decisions. However, this option was superior to making Jake deal with a malicious Motoko for months on end.

Kitsune said, "Since I'm not living in the building anymore, I'll abstain from this vote."

Naru nodded and said, "That's fair. She can read the results neutrally."

Su snatched Jake's cap from off his head. "Hey, what gives?" Jake whined.

Su cheerfully responded, "We're gonna put the votes in here!"

Shinobu ran off and returned with some small sheets of paper and pencils. After reseating themselves at the table, each person, except Keitaro, Kitsune and Jake, cast their vote into the cap. Kitsune stood up pulled the first vote from the cap, and said, "Here we go."

"Yes," Kitsune said, reading out the first vote.

"Next one is," she said, fishing out another paper and unfolding it. "No." Jake tensed up with the vote 1-1.

His fears were soon allayed, however. "Yes…yes…yes. So it's 4-1."

Kitsune cast a flirtatious glance at Jake and cooed, "I guess you're in, cutie."

Motoko's heart sank as Jake's heart rose. Unable to argue any further, being soundly and fairly defeated, Motoko cried out in frustration and fled the room.

Keitaro chortled, "Talk about déjà vu all over again."

Jake, flabbergasted, asked, "What's her problem, anyway?"

Naru replied, "Don't worry about her. She just doesn't handle defeat well. Welcome, manager."

Jake's ears perked at the his new title and said, "Thanks. I'll do my best while I'm here. Hopefully my stay will be abbreviated."

The others stood and bowed to Jake, welcoming him to their home. Jake took exception to their formality. "Please, there's no need for formalities. I'm not much for such displays."

Mutsumi asked, "So, where should he stay?"

Kitsune grabbed Jake's arm and, looking right into his eyes, in her practiced sultry voice, said, "He can stay in my room."

Jake's jaw hit the floor for a moment until Keitaro shrieked, "You live in the teahouse! Whatever are you thinking? You don't need to seduce him for free rent!"

Kitsune giggled and said, "I mean my old room. Next to yours, Keitaro, remember?"

Everyone let out a relieved sigh at Kitsune's joke. Keitaro tasked Shinobu with showing Jake to his new room and, after waving goodbye to the dispersing crowd, followed Shinobu out into the front hallway.

Shinobu ran to the front door and started picking up Jake's belongings. Jake grinned at the girl's sincere thoughtfulness and said, "What you are doing? I can take those myself."

Before Shinobu could argue, Jake took his items away from her. "Th-thank you," Shinobu said.

"Please, Shinobu, relax. I already said I don't like people that are overly cordial." Shinobu instinctively bowed, asking for forgiveness. Jake laughed at her conditioned response. "I guess it can't be helped. Shall we?" Shinobu nodded and moved towards the stairs leading to the tenant's rooms.

Jake followed Shinobu upstairs, passing several rooms before she halted. Throwing one of the sliding doors open, Shinobu said, "Here you are. Take your time getting yourself situated."

After thanking Shinobu for her help, he entered his new apartment. "Not much here," he muttered. A small, unfurnished futon lay on the floor in the center of the room, a tiny end table and a small drawer being the only adornments of interest in the room. Regardless of the shabby attire, the room was clean and the bed inviting.

After a few minutes of unpacking his property, Jake heard footsteps approach and a sharp knock on his door. "Yes?"

The paper door slid open, revealing Keitaro, who was carrying some sheets and pillows. Handing the pile to Jake, Keitaro said, "I brought these for you, so you can get some sleep. We'll go over your duties after you've gotten some rest." Jake nodded to Keitaro, while stifling a yawn. "I'll let you be for now then. Good night." Keitaro let himself out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

Jake, beginning to feel the full effects of jet lag, made the small bed with the makeshift sheet and blanket. "_They don't match, but I hardly care right now_," he thought.

Jake stripped out of his traveling clothes and lay down on the bed, his ankles hanging off the end. He chuckled, musing, "_I'll definitely need a larger bed. They make these things way too small_." He closed his eyes and, despite the cacophony of thoughts swarming his mind, swiftly drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Author's Note: Haha, two chapters in two days. How's that? Now, for the meat of the story...


	5. Secrets

Love's Redemption: Chapter 4

Jake slowly woke from his deep sleep, opening his eyes only to be greeted by darkness. "Man, is it night already? I didn't think I was asleep that long," he wondered aloud. He sat up, stretching his stiff limbs out languidly. After rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he stood and left his room.

"_I know I passed a bathroom on the way up here,"_ he thought to himself. He silently padded across the hardwood floor, trying to not wake the other residents up, at last spotting the bathroom. While relieving himself, he muttered, "Man, I could really use a shower." Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed there was a western, modernized bathtub with a shower. "Huh. That's an interesting coincidence," he said aloud.

After washing his hands, Jake tiptoed back to his room and fished out some toiletries from his gym bag. Sneaking back to the bathroom, he placed his soap, shampoo, toothbrush and toothpaste on the sink. After acquiring a towel from one of the bathroom cupboards, Jake turned on the shower. Soon, a warm haze of steam filled the room, caking the windows and mirrors with moisture. After adjusting the water's temperature, Jake grabbed his soap and shampoo and stepped into the shower.

Jake stood unmoving in the water for several minutes, relishing in the relaxation the shower was providing. After lathering and rinsing his hair, he heard what he thought was a very soft knock on the door. Jake whipped around and faced the door with his ears perked, listening for a more audible knock. Instead of another knock, he saw the mist of water quickly rush out of the area towards the doorway through the clear shower curtain. Someone was coming in!

"Hello! Someone is in here!" he whispered loudly. A shapely silhouette appeared through the fog, and the shadow shut the door behind it. Jake quickly covered himself the best he could with his hands and said with a hint of panic in his voice, "Who's there?"

Jake thought at first that one of the tenants was sleepwalking. However, the outline of a woman slowly stepped through the bathroom toward the shower and, in a familiar voice to Jake, huskily cooed, "You-know-who."

Almost instantaneously, a torrent of blood rushed to Jake's brain and clouded his already hindered vision. Furrowing his brow, he apprehensively asked, "Kitsune?"

The shadow chuckled flirtatiously and stepped forward into Jake's field of vision, revealing a smiling Kitsune. Jake gawked. A woman he had just met that morning was now getting an eyeful of his nakedness. Losing all regard for anyone else that may be sleeping in the building, Jake shrieked, "Ack! What are you doing in here? I thought you didn't live in the building!"

Kitsune's grin just got wider, and without missing a step, replied, "Yeah, but I need a shower so bad, and the teahouse doesn't have one."

"In the middle of the night?" Jake asked incredulously. Kitsune just shrugged playfully and she reached down to pull her top off.

"W-what are you doing?" Jake screeched in horror.

"I said I need a shower, so I'm going to take one."

Jake stood amazed as the beautiful woman before him removed her clothing. He tried to find something, anything to say to make sense of the situation, but he couldn't find any words. Kitsune finally finished disrobing and stepped into the shower, Jake now a trembling mass on the other side. Jake averted his eyes, frozen in fear with the predicament he was now faced with. After what seemed like an eternity of silence, Kitsune spoke up, "Hey." Jake forced himself to look at her, trying to keep his eyes from straying anywhere other than her face. "Would you mind washing my back?" Jake's vision suddenly blurred and turned completely white.

A sudden falling sensation caused Jake's body to jerk involuntarily and his eyes snapped open. He found himself staring at the ceiling, breathing heavily. Snapping into a sitting position, Jake's eyes darted around, and he recognized he was back in his own room. He discovered he was covered in sweat, water seeping through his clothing. "Was it a dream, or did I black out?" he wondered. A warm golden glow filled the room from the west and Jake concluded he was only dreaming, as night had yet to fall.

Jake stood and fished out some fresh clothes from his still-packed luggage. As he changed, he wondered when he last had such a vivid dream. As he finished, he concluded that he'd never had such a lucid dream before. "I felt the warmth of that shower. I was truly horrified when Kitsune stepped in the shower with me," he pondered. Deciding that it was most likely due to his over-active imagination combined with exhaustion from a day full of traveling, Jake stepped out of his room to find Keitaro.

"First things first, though," Jake said, heading for the bathroom, albeit tentatively. Upon reaching the bathroom, right where it was in his dream, he quickly glanced around, seeing if anyone was around. Confirming he was alone, he stepped in and relieved himself. After finishing, he glanced around the bathroom, noticing the layout was different than in his dream. "Thank God," he murmured, sighing deeply.

Jake quickly gave himself the 25-cent tour of the building, but was unable to locate any of the other tenants, let alone the building's former manager. In fact, he had no idea about which rooms belonged to whom. _"Well, I guess I'll just wait for him back in my room,"_ he thought, heading back to the second floor.

Returning to his room, Jake began to put some of his belongings away. Although the room was small and storage sparse, Jake had plenty of space for his meager belongings. Soon after finishing, Jake heard what sounded like footsteps coming from above him. _"Is someone upstairs?"_ he wondered.

Jake bolted from his room and ran upstairs, but again could not find anyone. Letting out a frustrated sigh, he turned to go back downstairs when he heard more footsteps and voices coming from above him again. "The roof!" he exclaimed, dashing down the hallway, looking for a flight of stairs leading to the roof. He soon spotted a stairway leading up and out of the building he hadn't noticed before.

The voices Jake heard became steadily louder as he climbed the stairs leading to the spacious balcony on the roof. Upon reaching the balcony, his saw everyone chatting away while watching the sunset. Jake froze in awe of the sight. The dull red and golden globe slowly sank toward the open sea, clearly visible from the high vantage point of the precipice of the balcony. The light danced off of the waves, and everything was tinged with red, like the dull glow of heated iron.

"Now I must be dreaming," Jake mumbled aloud.

Su, who was chasing Tama-chan around, stopped when she noticed Jake standing slack-jawed at the apex of the stairs. Her eyes brightened and she yelled, "He's awake!" Everyone else turned their heads in Jake's direction, and he smiled weakly and waved to them.

"So this is where you guys were. No wonder," Jake trailed off. Keitaro waved Jake over, and he sheepishly joined them, trying his best to avoid Kitsune if at all possible. Even though it was simply a dream, it had left an impression on him.

Tama-chan flew in front of Jake's view.

"We were starting to wonder if you'd ever wake up," Naru said.

"We almost had Kei-kun check to see if you were still alive," Mutsumi added.

Jake chuckled flippantly, replying, "Yeah. Interestingly, I thought I slept a lot longer than I really did. I guess I was just really exhausted." Jake glanced nervously at Kitsune, who was staring blankly into the horizon. Jake followed her eyes and watched as the lower tip of the sun dipped into the ocean's water.

"This is amazing," Jake said. "We get some awesome sunsets in the States, but nothing like this. Is it always like this?"

Keitaro replied, "Yes, but they're only this nice around this time of year. We basically made it a point to come up here every afternoon and watch the sunset." Jake nodded as a pall of revered silence fell over the group as they all watched the sun finish its descent.

Finally, the sun completed its journey over the skies of Japan, leaving a soft red glow in the skies to the west. Shinobu broke the silence. "It's getting a bit chilly, so I'm gonna go back inside now. I left a plate of food for you in the oven from dinner, Jake."

Jake smiled at her and replied, "Oh, thanks a lot!" Shinobu returned his smile, and left. After she was out of earshot, Jake said, "She's a real sweetheart, isn't she?"

Motoko, silent until now, took exception to Jake's comment. "She's still in high school you pervert. Don't get any funny ideas!"

Jake cowered, but rebounded, "Hey, I was just making a comment. I've no interest in her."

Motoko's venomous tone continued, "You had better not. Or else I'll remove your…extremities." With an evil grin, Motoko spun around followed Shinobu back inside.

"Geez, tell me she's not always like that." Jake asked, relaxing a bit.

Naru sighed deeply and shrugged. "She was the same way with Keitaro when he first got here. She must have a problem with men, or something."

"Great," Jake garbled under his breath.

Keitaro tried lifting Jake's spirits. "Hey, it's alright. She'll warm up to you eventually."

Mutsumi giggled, "Kei-kun, you've been manager here for two years now and she still hasn't exactly warmed up to you, either."

Keitaro chuckled nervously and Jake's shoulders slumped. Keitaro slapped Jake on the back and stated, "Don't worry." Come inside and I'll give you the tenant profiles and chore list." Jake nodded and followed Keitaro back towards the stairwell.

Halfway to the stairs, Tama-chan swooped down and froze from within 2 inches of Jake's face, greeting him with her usual 'miyu' sound. Jake shrieked and backpedaled furiously, pointing at the hovering turtle and screaming, "What the hell is that?"

Keitaro laughed and plucked Tama-chan from the air. He brought her over to Jake and introduced her, "This is Tama-chan. She's a flying turtle."

Tama raised her front leg/wing in greeting. "Miyu!"

Jake cowered away and countered, "Since when do turtles fly? Are there flying pigs in Japan too?"

Mutsumi chuckled and tickled under the turtle's chin, saying, "Of course not. Tama-chan is special." Jake chuckled hesitantly and corrected his comical posture.

Jake reached out to rub Tama-chan's head. "So is she a nice turtle?" Immediately after posing the question, Tama-chan gave the answer herself, reaching out and chomping down on Jake's exposed index finger. Jake screeched in pain, yanking his hand back and clutching it in agony. Su responded to the malicious action by jumping at Keitaro, aiming to grab Tama-chan from him. Tama-chan saw her coming and pulled away from Keitaro's grasp, causing Su to slam into Keitaro, knocking them both down.

Su defiantly yelled, "I'll get you yet, you evil turtle," and ran back downstairs.

Naru and Mutsumi sat back, laughing at the hilarity that just ensued, as both Keitaro and Jake recovered from their blows. "Gah, even the turtle doesn't like me," Jake spluttered.

Mutsumi approached Jake, getting a little too close for his own comfort, saying with a grin, "I like you."

Blood flooded Jake's face and Naru prodded Mutsumi away from Jake, saying uneasily, "She likes everybody. Don't listen to her," and pushing Mutsumi against her will to the stairwell and down into the complex.

Keitaro told Jake, "I guess we better get back in then." Jake nodded and stepped toward the stairs.

As they reached the stairs, Jake looked back to see Kitsune still staring at the fading horizon. "What's with her?" Jake quietly posed.

Keitaro shrugged, whispering, "We don't know. She's been like that every time we are up here lately. It's not like her at all."

Jake mulled it over for a moment, considering trying to talk to her. But with the strange dream he had still on his mind, he felt more than a little uncomfortable with trying to approach her.

Jake harrumphed and stepped down the stairs with Keitaro, leaving Kitsune alone on the balcony. She continued to stare out into the horizon as a cold, stiff breeze blew around her. A lone teardrop fell from her face, splashing onto the floor of the veranda.

* * *

The next few days passed without much incident. Keitaro showed Jake the ropes and he took to it like a fish to water. Jake did his best to perform his duties and be as transparent as possible to avoid creating any more friction than necessary. Thankfully, he was able to do the vast majority of his chores while the tenants were out of the building. Keitaro, Naru and Mutsumi were in class most of the day at Tokyo University. Su and Shinobu were at their high school. Kitsune, though technically not a tenant, was usually around during the evening hours chatting with the others after closing the teashop. Motoko, on the other hand, was in the building most of the time, either locked in her room studying, or on the roof practicing her kendo. Jake avoided her as much as possible. This turned out to be a chore in itself, as it seemed Motoko constantly went back and forth from her room to the kitchen, the bathroom, or the roof. 

Jake usually spent his evening hours watching the sunset with the others, and then either chumming with Keitaro while the girls bathed in the hot spring or getting in his exercise. Kitsune was usually last to leave the roof after the sun had set, unusually quiet the whole time. Since none of the other tenants made a fuss about it, at least as far as he knew, Jake concluded it was either no big deal or none of his business. Either way, he usually retired to his room to read or listen to music when the ladies got out of the hot spring.

Occasionally one of the tenants would come up and ask him do to something, such as change a light bulb or some other mundane task. This left him feeling a bit like a butler or a warden, but he understood that as long as he had a roof over his head, he couldn't complain. His tryouts were in three weeks, so his perception was that this was a very temporary thing. Keitaro was already interviewing potential permanent replacements. Today, however, his perception would begin to change.

The day started off like any other, with Jake waking up around four-thirty for a morning jog. He found the run through the chilled morning fog relaxing to the mind yet invigorating for the body. As he returned to the inn, he noticed some lights were on as he jogged up the stairs. _"That's interesting. Everyone's usually still asleep right now,"_ he thought as he broke into a dash up the final flights of stairs. Jake saw the top of the stairway approach and leaped up the stairs four to five at a time. At last, he reached the top of the stairs and collapsed to his knees, gasping feverishly for breath.

After several minutes, Jake recovered enough to stand and enter the building. He plodded up the stairs to the second floor and went to his room to grab a towel to dry the sweat dripping from his body. His ears perked as he heard a commotion from the roof area and he immediately rushed out of his room to investigate. The whooping and hollering of the girls met his ears as he climbed the stairs to the roof. He looked over to see what they were cheering about and he saw Keitaro and Motoko locked in a furious dance macabre of parries and ripostes with training kendos.

Jake moved to stand behind the seated audience, his mind recalling his vigorous training with Keitaro and Seta in the U.S. during their stay there. Seta was a fine swordsman and an even better instructor in the ways of kendo. Within a matter of weeks, Keitaro had changed from a puny ninety-eight-pound weakling into a seasoned warrior. Jake, with his own extensive martial arts background, relished training with Seta and Keitaro. Keitaro, despite not having any formal self-defense training, proved himself to be a true talent, capable of besting Jake and nearly defeating Seta in their last duel before they left America.

Jake shifted his weight, observing the battle from behind the seated crowd with his arms folded over his chest. Half the tenants seemed to be rooting for Keitaro while the other half supported Motoko. Shinobu, normally reserved and docile, was cheering enthusiastically for Keitaro, belting out words of encouragement. The sight and sound of the small girl so eagerly supporting Keitaro brought a chuckle to Jake. Even Kitsune turned out to watch the battle. She seemed to be back to her normal self, not cheering for either contestant, but berating them for their inability to score a clean hit.

Turning his attention back to the combatants, Jake noticed the combatants' speed increase. Their motions began to blur. Jake closed his eyes as the volume of the cheering section swelled with the pace of the combat. Jake opened his eyes and focused his trained eyes back onto the fight. The world around him seemed to slow down: the voices of the observers faded to silence, and the battle slowed dramatically.

The first thing Jake noticed was the intensity of the fight. Both Motoko and Keitaro had their eyes locked onto each other and were both gritting their teeth and snarling with each swing of their weapons. Next, he noticed how physically fit Motoko was. Although she was dueling a male who was in decent, if not excellent shape, she was holding her own, her movements as graceful as a dancer. Her lithe body twisted and bent to achieve superior position with each attack and counter-attack.

Something was amiss, however. Though the contest was fast and furious, it seemed Keitaro was holding back somewhat. Motoko's strikes were not as fast as would be necessary to stand a chance of piercing Keitaro's tight defense. Jake also noticed several openings in Motoko's defenses that Keitaro either failed to capitalize on or chose to ignore_. "He must be ignoring them. He's not THAT stupid,"_ Jake thought inwardly. Suddenly, the combat broke as both battlers jumped back into a neutral corner. Both were panting, but it seemed to Jake that Motoko was laboring significantly more than Keitaro.

Unexpectedly, Keitaro raised his sword over his head and charged Motoko. _"What the hell is he thinking? He's wide open,"_ Jake wondered disbelievingly. Motoko, caught off guard momentarily by Keitaro's sudden berserk offensive strategy, quickly recovered. When Keitaro reached her, she easily sidestepped his overhand swing and smacked Keitaro heartily in the back, knocking him face first onto the hardwood. With one brisk movement, Motoko promptly mounted Keitaro and thrust her kendo into the left side of his back.

Keitaro grimaced in pain and quickly relented, "Alright, alright. You got me again. Mercy." Motoko, still panting, flashed a haughty grin and said, "That's eleven now, Urashima. You're getting soft." She tapped her kendo on his back, accepting his defeat, and greeted the now applauding audience. They showered praises on Motoko for defeating Keitaro for the eleventh consecutive time as she walked toward the stairwell. Jake feigned astonishment and commended Motoko as she passed. Motoko cast a cold glance in his direction before turning away, ignoring his praise.

After the others filed down into the building, Jake stepped over to Keitaro, offering an arm to help him rise. As Keitaro rose, Jake asked, "You threw that match, didn't you?"

Keitaro looked at Jake as if he'd grown a second head, hastily replying, "What are you talking about? Of course not!"

Jake folded his arms over his chest and leaned his head toward Keitaro, "Come on, Keitaro. You may be able to fool those novices, but I know your abilities. You could have taken her out easily. Hell, you could have done it blindfolded! Why?"

Keitaro hanged his head for a moment before saying, "Was it that obvious?"

Jake nodded at Keitaro before asking, "How often are you two sparring? How many times has she 'beaten' you?"

Keitaro chuckled defensively before saying, "We spar once or twice a week, whenever Motoko-chan doesn't have massive studying to do and I don't have classes that day. And, uh, it's been eleven times in a row now."

Jake snapped back, "Eleven?"

Keitaro jumped at Jake's surprisingly loud response. "SHHH! Keep it down! Promise not to say anything to anyone, especially Motoko-chan?"

"But why?" Jake asked. "Why not beat her? With the way she acts and treats both you and I, she deserves it."

Keitaro sighed deeply before responding. "You don't understand. Did you know she's studying for the entrance exam for Tokyo University?"

Jake shook his head, replying, "Well, I know she's studying, but I didn't know it was for Tokyo University. I try to avoid her as much as possible. I can't stand the derisive way she looks at me,"

"Well," Keitaro began, "she recently took her entrance exams there and failed pretty badly. She's very serious and self-conscious about her intelligence, so she was very depressed for a while. I found the only time she's happy is when she's practicing kendo or sparring. After a month or so, we all talked her into taking the exams again this spring. She needs to focus on her studies, and she has been, but her kendo skills have dulled. She couldn't take it if she realized how rusty she's gotten. She would quit on reaching Toudai, and I'm not about to let that happen. Her getting accepted there is more important to me than my own pride. I hope you understand."

Jake shook his head. "I can't say I do. You care so much about someone that treats you and your friend like they are the scum of the earth. How do you do it?"

"Just give her some time, Jake," Keitaro said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "If you knew her like I do, you would understand."

Jake pondered this turn of events for a moment. "Okay, I'll stay quiet, but you need to realize she's going to find out sooner or later. And the later she finds out, the harder she's going to take it."

"I know, I know," Keitaro replied. Jake chuckled to Keitaro's puzzlement. "What is it?" Keitaro asked.

"You're a better man than me, Keitaro. I'd have probably just whipped her ass for being so cold," Jake said between laughs.

Keitaro laughed out loud and asked, "Do you think I haven't considered it?" This drew a hearty laugh from both young men. Keitaro got serious for a moment, "She's a great girl, Jake. You just need to get past her defense mechanisms."

Jake nodded, "I hope so. I can't stand running around this place trying to get away from her anymore, and it's only been a few days. It's way too uncomfortable for me."

From inside, Su screamed out, "Jake, Keitaro, breakfast!" Heeding the call to another delicious meal cooked by Shinobu, the men of Hinata Inn ended their conversation and left the deck area, Keitaro's kendo stick still lying in the middle.

* * *

Author's Note: Hope you are all enjoying the story so far. Hard to tell since I'm not getting many reviews. As long as not many people say this story is complete crap I'll keep updating, so stay tuned.


	6. Beauty

Disclaimer: See Prologue

Love's Redemption: Chapter 5

Their pact of secrecy sealed with a handshake, Jake and Keitaro entered the dining area of the inn for breakfast. Shinobu had whipped up a fast but delicious meal, as usual. During the course of the meal, Jake noticed the table was significantly more quiet than normal. He glanced around the table, noting that everyone was trying to avoid his stare in some form or another.

Looking to his left and following a clockwise trail around the table, Jake looked at Kitsune, seated to his left, who had her eyes buried in her plate, munching away thoughtlessly. Next to her was Naru, who noticed Jake looking at her and returned his gaze with a weak smile, which Jake reciprocated. To her left was Keitaro, who was mindlessly poking at his food, eating it slowly. Su was seated to Keitaro's left. She was fidgeting around, trying to appear normal, which made her appear the most abnormal in the group. She usually was either inhaling her food down or playing with it. Motoko sat to Su's left, and she was the only one that appeared normal: she had her face buried in a textbook as per usual. Shinobu was next to the raven-haired ronin, and Jake noticed she was glancing around the table much like he was, as if expecting something to happen. Seated on Jake's right and Shinobu's left was Mutsumi, with her perennial smile painted on her face, quietly humming a nameless, indiscriminate tune between bites of rice.

Breaking the reverie, Mutsumi turned to Jake and asked, "Ara, when are your tryouts Jake-kun?"

Jake turned his attention away from the strangeness at the table to reply, "Three weeks from today, actually."

"Ah, I see," was Mutsumi's reply.

The pall of silence immediately returned over the dining area for another several minutes. Unable to bear the torture any longer, Jake finally spoke up, "Did someone die this morning? What's the matter with all of you?"

At once, the Hinata residents all replied, "What? Nothing! What do you mean?"

Except for Su, who asked, "Is 'die' tasty?"

And Motoko, who kept herself immersed in her textbook.

"You people are horrible actors," Jake murmured. "You guys are normally all rowdy and playful in the morning. But you are all acting weird, except for Motoko, who is normally frigid." This statement caused Motoko to lower her book slightly to glare over the top of it at Jake, who turned to her and grinned. Motoko scoffed and raised the book over her face once more. "So what's going on here?" Jake asked.

Everyone looked at each other for a moment before all eyes landed on Keitaro. "Um, I guess we can't keep any secrets from you, Jake," he said.

"You couldn't have made it any more obvious," Jake replied.

Keitaro rose and cleared his throat. "The thing is Jake, we want to throw a welcoming party for you tonight. We wanted to make it a surprise, but I guess we failed pretty miserably at that."

Jake's eyes widened in shock, his mind racing, _"They would actually do something like that for me? Why? I don't plan on being here very long. There's no need for them to go through all that trouble. Besides, I'm not much for parties. Keitaro knows that."_

"I appreciate the gesture, but you don't need to go through that much trouble for me. I'm not much for parties," Jake stammered nervously. Before he could speak another word, everyone around him simultaneously spoke in a cacophony of whining, wheedling and cajoling. Jake was immediately overwhelmed by 7 voices, 6 of which were female, complaining that he was no fun, or that they had spent the whole day yesterday planning the party, or whining that they spent an entire weeks' salary on sake, or plain calling him a bastard. "_Geez, if I wanted to hear this, I'd just go home_," Jake thought through the din. All he could do is put his hands in front of himself defensively and back his chair away from the table.

Keitaro, seeing that Jake was completely besieged, decided to be the voice of reason. He knew Jake best, after all. He waved his arms over the table, trying to get everyone's, in fact anyone's attention. "Hey, hey. HEYOy…oy, OY!" he finally screamed. The whining instantly stopped and all eyes fell on Keitaro. "He's telling the truth. He isn't really a party guy," Keitaro began. "In America we were invited to a lot of parties by friends and such, but Jake didn't really go to any of them. At least not after…never mind. Anyway, perhaps this was a bad idea."

Everyone looked at Jake again, and he hanged his head. The only thing he could say was, "Sorry, everyone."

Motoko stormed out without a word, and Kitsune simply threw up her arms and said, "Oh well, more sake for me, I guess," and followed Motoko out of the room.

"That's too bad," Mutsumi said in her usual lighthearted voice. "I thought things would get more exciting around here."

Su rose from her seat, stood right in front of Jake's face and said in plain English, "You suck!"

Naru gasped and exclaimed, "Su-chan!" Su simply giggled and ran from the room, Naru chasing her up the stairs.

Keitaro asked, "Mutsumi-san, would you mind leaving us for a minute?"

"Sure, Kei-kun," she replied. Before standing, she placed a delicate hand on Jake's shoulder and said, "I hope you change your mind. We could use some fun around here for a change." Jake simply looked at her hand resting on his shoulder, then her face. She just smiled at him and rose from her seat and left the dining room. Keitaro shut the door behind her and sighed heavily.

"What's wrong with me, Keitaro?" Jake asked. "A bunch of beautiful women, who for the most part are really nice to me, just asked me to essentially hang out with them, and I turned them down. What the hell is wrong with me?" Jake rested his elbows on the table and buried his head in his hands.

Keitaro walked over and sat across from him. "I think you already know the answer to that question, Jake."

Jake closed his eyes and exhaled deeply, running his hands through his hair. "Why is it always that?" Jake asked. "I'm getting sick and tired of it."

Keitaro nodded sagely and asked, "Have you seen anyone since?"

Jake shook his head and said, "It's hard."

"I wouldn't know," Keitaro said solemnly.

Jake continued, "What they planned for me is really nice, but I'm not planning on being here very long and I don't want to get attached. That's the last thing I need: another hard break."

"I wouldn't assume to understand your feelings Jake, but aren't you a little attached anyway?" Keitaro asked him. "They are starting to become attached to you. They don't throw parties like that unless they have accepted you as a part of their family here. Can you honestly tell me that you haven't developed feelings about this place?"

Jake's mind flashed back to the strange dream he had the first day at the inn, watching as Kitsune stood alone on the roof veiled in the dusk of early evening, Mutsumi saying she liked him on the roof, Shinobu's smiling face and excellent meals, Naru socking Keitaro in the face, Motoko glaring at him after she defeated Keitaro, and most recently, Su telling him that he sucked. He chuckled inwardly and admitted, "I guess you're right. I've already built relationships with everyone here, even though for the most part they are all wacky ones. I don't think I could forget anything I've experienced here."

A moment of silence befell the two men in the dining room. In the hallway, they could hear Naru say, "I've got you now!" followed by the sound of two falling bodies. Laughing followed by whooping and cheering emanated from the hall.

Both men looked at the door, and Keitaro glanced at Jake, who was grinning wide listening to the sounds emanating from the beyond the door. "I guess it is just a party," Jake said.

"Yeah," Keitaro responded.

"Ah, to hell with it. Let's do it!" Jake said with a grin.

"You sure?" Keitaro asked. Jake stood and replied,

"Yeah. I can't spend the rest of my life wallowing in my own grief. I'm sure she wouldn't want that. Besides, who am I to spoil a party when I'm the guest of honor?"

Keitaro nodded with a grin and stood up. "Shall we let them in on it?" Keitaro asked. With a curt nod, Jake walked toward the door with Keitaro in tow.

Before opening the door, Jake said, "Thanks, Keitaro."

"No problem, Jake. You were there for me, too," Keitaro replied.

With a grin, Jake threw the door open and said, "Hey, everyone." Before taking two steps into the hall both Jake and Keitaro saw a sight that stopped them dead in their tracks. Naru had Su pinned to the ground on her back. Naru was straddling her, trying to hold her arms down. Since both women were facing the doorway to the dining room, the two men had a healthy view down both girls' shirts.

Jake smirked, "Nice," with a cock-eyed grin on his face. Both women froze and slowly raised their heads to look at the two men now watching them in their compromising position. Su just smiled at them, but Naru, not quite as naïve, noticed Keitaro pinching his nose, blood dripping from his hand to the ground. She quickly glanced down and noticed she was showing quite a bit of cleavage and she looked back at the two men in unabashed anger, blood quickly rushing to her face. Jake and Keitaro surmised they were about to receive a beating and their expressions changed from one of delight to one of fear. "Sukebe!" Naru exclaimed, her face now burning red. Su just laughed in glee, as did the other residents overlooking the quickly deteriorating situation.

"RETREAT!!!" Keitaro exclaimed and he and Jake fell back into the dining area, slamming the door shut just before Naru's slipper crashed into it. They both braced the door shut with their bodies just as the door jerked partially open from Naru throwing her body into it. The commotion from the other side of the door was now even louder than when Naru first tackled Su.

**BUMP** "Are they cheering her on?" Jake asked.

**BUMP** Keitaro chuckled and said, "Sounds like it."

**BUMP** Jake laughed and said, "I guess we'll just tell them later."

"Sounds like a plan," Keitaro replied, returning Jake's laugh with one of his own.

After about 20 minutes of trying to break down the door to the dining room, Naru finally collapsed in defeat. Most of the other girls had long since given up cheering on Naru's attempted blood fest and were chatting amongst each other between loud bangs. After the bumping stopped for a few minutes, the dining room door swung open slightly, and a hand appeared, waving a white hand towel, piquing the interest of the girls seated on the sofas. They heard a muffled voice call out, "We surrender!" and Keitaro poked his head out and looked down, seeing Naru on her knees, panting heavily. From his vantage point, Keitaro could once again see straight down Naru's shirt, getting a clear view of the top of her breasts and the lining of her bra.

Naru glared back at Keitaro, not noticing her predicament this time. Keeping his composure, but still feeling extremely awkward, regardless of his relationship with her, Keitaro looked Naru in the face timidly, trying not to ogle her and, tugging at the collar of his shirt, he pointed down and said, "Er." Naru's eyes widened and she gasped before hastily covering herself up with her hands. She growled, lashing out before Keitaro could react, pulling him into the foyer by his hair. The door swung open widely and Jake watched in frightened amusement as Keitaro was thrown face first onto the hardwood floor. Naru pounced on Keitaro and began mercilessly slapping away at any part of his body not protected by his arms or the floor. The sound of raucous laughter echoed off the walls of the living area as everyone watched Keitaro get whipped by his girlfriend.

Naru roared, "If I didn't love you so much, I'd kill you, you sick pervert."

The residents seated on the sofas stopped laughing and "Aww"-ed at Naru's public display of affection. Naru froze, suddenly aware that they were being watched. Her face flushed with blood, she jumped off of Keitaro's back, giggling tensely.

Keitaro righted himself, fixed his hair and glasses and pulled Naru into a warm embrace. Jake watched as Shinobu turned her head away, Motoko looked down, and Kitsune fidgeted in her seat. _"You really are a lucky bastard, Keitaro," _he though to himself.

Su winced and stuck out her tongue. "Now that's not yummy." Mutsumi smiled and clapped her hands lightly, enjoying the sight of her friends together.

Jake sauntered into the hall and said, "Get a room you two."

The two lovebirds swiftly broke apart, and Keitaro pulled Naru over to the sofas, where they sat on the floor. Keitaro then said, "Go ahead, Jake."

Jake exhaled acutely and approached the others. "The thing is," he began, "about this party…"

Before he could continue, the others spoke over him: "Yeah, you wanna just gloat about being a ninny?"

"We get your point, you are just a reject."

"You owe me money for the sake."

"You SUCK!"

Jake and Keitaro waved their arms at them to stop and Jake said, "No, no, no, that's not it!" After a moment, their rumblings calmed. "The thing is, I didn't realize it was such a big deal to you all. If I had known that, I would have accepted your invitation in the first place."

Shinobu raised her hand shyly, requesting permission to speak. "Yes, Shinobu-chan?" Jake said as he motioned toward her.

"You mean you want the party now?" Shinobu asked, sounding as if she were excited, yet not quite willing to get her hopes up.

Jake grinned at her and replied, "Yeah."

A raucous cheer erupted from everyone except Keitaro, who, of course, had already known. Motoko asked, "But why didn't you accept our invitation when we first asked?"

Jake paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. "I guess its because I don't really feel like I belong here right now. I'm only going to be here for about 3 weeks, so I don't want to impose on any of you or make you feel uncomfortable."

Kitsune lightly shoved Keitaro, who was seated on the floor beneath her and remarked, "He sounds a lot like you once did, Keitaro, except without all the peeping, groping and other perverted acts."

Everyone chuckled at Kitsune's joke and Keitaro said, "Yeah, that's what I told him!"

Su leaped to her feet and exclaimed, "I guess you don't suck after all, Jake!" Jake rolled his eyes and laughed.

Kitsune rose to her feet with a groan and said, "Well, someone needs to get him out of here while the place gets set up, and I would like to nominate myself. I need to get the tea shop opened."

Naru stood next and nodded, saying, "That sounds good, Kitsune. We need everyone else here to get it set up on time, anyway. Come on, everyone, let's get the decorations!"

"Hai!" everyone exclaimed in unison and they all stood and filed out of the great room.

Kitsune picked up her jacket and threw it on, quickly ran her fingers through her hair to throw it back and, with a smile, she looked at Jake and asked, "Shall we?"

Jake smiled weakly and nodded, not looking directly at her. He opened the door for her and motioned her to go first. As they walked down the stairs, Jake found himself glancing at her from the side. _"Man, she's really good looking. And she's pretty close to my age…what am I thinking? I'm not here to pick up any of these girls. I'm here to get a tryout and, hopefully, a spot in some team's rotation. Besides, I'm not ready for anything like that yet." _Jake shook his head in disgust at the demon sitting on his shoulder.

About halfway to the teahouse, Kitsune broke the silence, "They like you."

Jake, his attention broken from his thoughts, asked, "I'm sorry?"

Kitsune turned her head to look at Jake, "I said they like you. It's probably because you remind them of Keitaro when he first took over the manager position."

"_What about you?"_ he thought to himself, but thought better of saying anything out loud. Instead, Jake remarked, "I remember him telling me you all hated his guts when he first came here."

Kitsune chuckled for a moment and responded, "Not really. We all understood…well, at least I understood, that he was just a victim of circumstance all those times."

Jake raised an eyebrow, "Then why the remark about him being perverted back there."

Kitsune flashed a toothy grin and said, "I just like to poke fun at him."

Jake stopped for a moment, watching Kitsune walk ahead of him. He looked her up and down and murmured in English, "You are really something."

Kitsune overheard Jake's remark, stopped and turned around? "Huh?" she asked, not able to understand what he said.

Jake realized he had spoken his mind again. "N-nothing. Let's get to the teahouse," he said, rushing to catch up.

At last, they arrived at the teahouse. After taking Jake's coat and offering him a seat at one of the tables, Kitsune opened the shop for business. Since the teahouse was usually slow in the morning, she prepared some tea and joined Jake, who was admiring the view outside of the teahouse, at the table. "Here," she said, putting a small cup filled with steaming hot tea in front of Jake.

"Oh, thanks!" Jake blew air into the cup, cooling the tea some before taking a sip. "That's some great tea, Kitsune. Thank you!"

She replied with a nod and initiated small talk, "So, what's your life story?"

Jake laughed at the surprisingly broad subject. "You don't waste any time, do you?" he asked.

Kitsune gazed around the teahouse before turning her eyes back to Jake and asked rhetorically, "Does it look like I have anything better to do right now?"

Jake grinned at her and replied, "I guess not." Kitsune leaned forward, resting her right elbow on the table, her head resting on her right hand.

Rasping his lips while exhaling, Jake began, "Well…" Over the course of the next several hours, a half dozen customers, 3 cups of tea and a handful of phone calls later, Jake told his story. He was born in New York. Not in the city, but in the northern suburbs. His early childhood was mostly normal, until his parents were divorced when he was six years old. Afterwards, he, his two sisters, Jill and Jane, and his mother moved to Phoenix, Arizona.

Times were tough being the only male in the household. He helped earn money by taking odd jobs until he was fifteen, when he could seek real employment. Working a full-time job eased the family's poverty, but his grades suffered. He wanted to quit school to help around the house, but his mother forced him to quit his job and she worked 2 full time jobs to support the family.

Thankfully, Jake found a talent that would net him a full scholarship to a university: baseball. He could throw. Hard. His high school baseball coach discovered his latent talent and gave him a starting position at the school's varsity team, where he excelled as a pitcher. The summer after graduation, he began his studies at Arizona State.

College life was no picnic either. He had to work part time, since he still needed money to live, despite the full-ride scholarship. He ended up working five different jobs and changing his major twice over his first three years in college. In his senior year, Jake needed an elective course and a basic anthropology course caught his eye. It was the first day in this class that he met Keitaro and Seta through his anthropology professor.

Jake was the only one in his class that knew Japanese so, instead of having them live out of a van, Jake offered to take Seta and Keitaro into his dorm while they stayed in Arizona for the next several months. His professor offered to give Jake an 'A' if he agreed to follow Keitaro and Seta around, translating for them and helping them during their digs. It would be a superb chance for Jake to study ancient cultures. Jake gladly accepted.

Jake and Keitaro, despite their differences, both physically and socially, instantly became best friends. Jake would take Keitaro out on the town during weekends. Keitaro would play catch with Jake or they would train in kendo together. Keitaro told him everything about everyone at Hinata and wished Jake could visit sometime. Jake even helped Keitaro pick out the ring he gave to Naru, as well as the presents he brought back for everyone, which earned him a smack on the arm from Kitsune when he told her. "We had all had more than a few drinks by that time," Jake explained, rubbing his sore arm.

After Keitaro and Seta left, Jake was in his last semester of college. He would graduate that fall, try out for a major league team, and live happily ever after. However, he found that "the majors" was a lot more difficult to achieve than he first thought. This is when he also discovered his fatal flaw. While he could throw in the mid to upper nineties, he had almost no control over his location. He set a school record for strikeouts, but also set records for walks and hit batsmen. This was not a good sign for recruiters, so they all wrote him off. He graduated with honors from ASU, but he was never selected in that year's draft. He went to an open tryout and was laughed off the mound.

All seemed lost until Keitaro called him several weeks ago. Jake lamented to him about his problems, and it was then that Keitaro mentioned to Jake about needing someone to come work for him at the inn. When Jake discovered Japan's open tryouts were in a month, he offered to take the job for Keitaro. Using the last of his college savings, Jake bought a one-way ticket to Japan. "…So here I am," he said with finality.

Kitsune nodded and asked, "What about your love life? You never mentioned any women in your story. Have you ever been in love?"

Jake smiled weakly before looking down into his now cold, half-empty cup of tea. He breathed deeply before returning Kitsune's gaze with a misty stare of his own. "That's another story, far too long to get into now."

Kitsune backed off, "Oh, sorry."

Jake shook his head vigorously, "No, it's alright. I just don't feel like talking about it right now."

An uncomfortable silence befell them before Jake perked up and asked, "What about you? I've been blabbering on about my boring life the past couple hours. Now it's your turn to embarrass yourself."

Before Kitsune could begin, a large group of people entered the teashop. "Looks like it's going to have to wait. It's going to get busy here," Kitsune informed Jake before rising to her feet.

Jake scoffed, "Figures…well, is there anything I can do to help?"

Kitsune pondered for a moment. "Yes, there is! Come on!" Kitsune tugged Jake by his arm out of his seat. For the remainder of the day, Jake helped Kitsune serve customers at the teashop.

Jake smiled as he held open the door for the last few customers as they filed out of the teahouse. After the final customer left, he flipped the sign on the door from "OPEN" to "CLOSED", shut it and locked it. He sighed, "Finally…I thought they'd never leave."

Kitsune chuckled at Jake. "Thanks for your help today. Business was much better than normal with you here. I might have to keep you around."

Jake backpedaled, "Oh no you don't. This is so not my gig."

Kitsune laughed at his defensive statement as she removed her apron, placed it one of the tables and ruffled her hands through her short hair.

"Ugh, I need a shower. Do you need a shower, Jake?" Kitsune asked in a sultry voice.

Jake raised an eyebrow in the direction of the shorthaired fox. Kitsune giggled. Jake realized she was playing a perverted joke on him. He snatched a rag from the counter and tossed it, hitting her in the arm as she raised it to protect herself. "Honestly, I have a shower upstairs. Would you like to use it?" Kitsune asked.

"Really?" Jake asked. Kitsune nodded.

"Sure, but you first," he offered.

"All right, give me 15 minutes," she replied before hiking up the stairs to her apartment.

Jake poured himself a glass of plain water and sat at a table. Moments later, he heard the shower upstairs turn on. As he waited, he watched as the sky changed from cerulean to an increasingly ruddy hue. He reflected upon the past few days of his life, wondering where fate would take him. What if he made it onto a team? For that matter, what if he failed again? What about the party tonight? Would other people show up? Jake had yet to meet any friends of the tenants. Would they like him?

Sooner than he thought possible, Jake heard the shower cut off. He took his time finishing his glass of water and rose. He stepped up the stairs leading to Kitsune's apartment cautiously and lightly rapped his fist on the door. "Kitsune?" he called out, "Are you decent?"

After a moment of silence, Jake tried the doorknob. It turned without resistance, and the door swung inward several inches. He opened the door slowly, peeked his head through it and asked, "Hello?" After more silence, he opened the door fully and stepped into Kitsune's bedroom, closing the door behind him. He glanced around the room, which looked like a typhoon had passed through it. Clothing and magazines littered the worn carpeting. The sheets on the bed were tossed about, half on the bed, half on the floor. Next to the door on his immediate left was a shelf lined from top to bottom with various brands and sizes of bottles of sake. Most were empty, but some still had their contents intact. _"She's a lush," _he thought to himself as he chuckled. Posters of various musical artists from Japan and abroad covered most of the walls. _"Is she really 22? She lives like a teenager."_

Jake's instincts took over as he began picking up Kitsune's floor, stacking her magazines in a neat pile near her bed and placing her clothes in her hamper, which was, of course, empty. As he leaned over to pick up one of her bras, the door to the bathroom behind him swung open, a blast of moist, warm air hitting him in the back. Kitsune stepped out of the mist, clad in only a towel, noticed Jake cleaning her room and gasped. Jake froze in place.

"What are you doing," Kitsune asked.

Jake shot upright without turning around to face her, "Oh, sorry! Force of habit."

Kitsune leaned against the doorjamb and said, "I meant to clean up the place a little after I got out, but it looks like you beat me to it."

Jake was still in a state of shock, expecting to get clobbered, "Y-you mean you aren't mad?"

Kitsune chuckled, "No, silly. In fact, could you hand me that bra?"

Jake glanced down, "You mean that one?"

Kitsune padded across the room to her dresser and said, "Yeah, that's the only one I've got right now that's not too dirty to wear. I need to get laundry done sometime this year."

Jake was careful not to peek at Kitsune since if she wasn't wearing a bra she was obviously topless. He bent down and retrieved the bra in question, shuffled over to where Kitsune was and held it out for her. She took it from Jake with thanks and said, "There's another towel in there. Go ahead and get in the shower. I've got everything I need in here."

"Thanks," Jake said. He turned around, and for a split-second, his eyes met Kitsune's. Her hair was damp, ruffled and matted from being dried with a towel. Water dripped from loose strands of her hair onto her bare shoulders. The fading light from her window silhouetted her soft, rounded facial features, but he could still see her smiling face clearly.

"Is something the matter?" Kitsune asked, tilting her head to one side.

Jake lowered his head. "No, it's nothing," he stammered, making a beeline towards the bathroom. He stepped inside and shut the door. He froze there for a moment, becoming aware of his rapid breath rate and pounding heart. His mind's eye flashed back to that instant. Her sparkling eyes, the light playing off of her hair, her smile. _"That was the most beautiful thing my eyes have ever seen."_

Kitsune sat on her bed, preparing to pull up a fresh pair of trousers. She paused for a moment and glanced back toward the bathroom door. _"What was I thinking? Its like I was inviting him to look at me."_ She placed a hand over her chest, feeling her heart pounding. "What is this?" she asked herself aloud. _"Could it be?"_

* * *

Author's Note: A lot of people had assumptions about this story from the Epilogue. How do you feel about those assumptions now? ;-)

Sorry, had to re-upload due to typo extermination.


	7. Festivities

Love's Redemption: Chapter 6

Jake stared into space, listening to the sound of his heavy breathing and his heart pounding in his chest. He was sure he was dreaming again, but a sharp pinch to his arm verified what he had just seen was real. _"She was…smiling at me?"_ he asked himself. Still in a daze, Jake decided to strip off his clothes and enter the shower.

Kitsune, lost in her own thoughts, was snapped from her reverie by the sound of the water turning on in the bathroom. She shook her head and laughed at herself. _"What am I thinking? He may be good-looking and somewhat charming, but I'm not about to fall for an American like some stereotypical school girl."_ A smirk crossed her face as she pulled up her slacks and fastened them. She walked to her closet, fished out a turtleneck sweater and pulled it over her head.

Running a hand through her hair and feeling its dampness, Kitsune searched around for a brush. "You've got to be kidding me," she said aloud after realizing she had several, but none were in her bedroom. Sighing fervidly, she glanced at the closed bathroom door. After a moment of pause, she shrugged her shoulders and approached the door.

Jake reveled in the heat of the shower; his cares and worries washing away like the soil on his body. He reached for the shampoo, thinking, _"I'm sure she won't mind."_ He opened the cap and dispensed a small amount in the palm of his hand.

Just as he had lathered the shampoo into his hair, he heard a knock at the door. His back stiffened, the hairs on his neck rose and his muscles locked in place. _"Oh, God, You have got to be kidding me." _

The door opened with a creak and Kitsune poked her head in. "Jake?"

Jake recovered enough composure to squeak out a response, "Y-y-yeah?"

"Sorry, I just need to get a brush."

"Oh, okay, no problem."

Kitsune opened the door wide enough to slip in and fish out a brush from a drawer under the sink. She glanced over noting Jake's immobile silhouette. A fiendish grin crept over her face. She leaned in closer to the cloudy see-through shower curtain and muttered, "Nice butt." Kitsune watched in amusement as Jake's figure jumped at the remark, but her demeanor changed to shock when Jake's foot caught a slippery spot and he crashed flat on his back inside the shower.

Without thinking, Kitsune rushed over and pulled the curtain open to make sure Jake wasn't injured. "I'm so sorry Jake, it was just an accident!" Kitsune's eyes widened and a sharp gasp stole her breath. She snapped the curtain closed, suddenly realizing his compromising position.

Jake lay prone, with pain shooting up his back from the fall and his eyeballs from the shampoo running into them. He tried desperately to cover whatever virtue he had left by curling into a fetal position.

Kitsune covered her mouth with both hands, her face now totally flushed in embarrassment. "I'm so sorry, Jake. I'm so sorry. Are you okay?" she asked from the other side of the curtain. She tried to sound sympathetic, but she nearly laughed out loud while she spoke.

In a raspy voice, Jake replied, "Ouch!"

A loud snicker escaped Kitsune's mouth and she again covered her mouth with a hand, trying in vain to keep from laughing at the embarrassing situation. Softly, Jake began laughing at himself. It was his only defense. Gradually, both Jake and Kitsune found themselves laughing mightily at what they had both done.

"Ow, ow, ow," Jake whined, getting his feet back under himself.

Between laughs, Kitsune asked, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be all right. What did you see?" Jake asked.

Kitsune replied, "Nothing big," and started laughing out loud again.

"Ha, ha, very funny, Kitsune." Jake quickly rinsed the shampoo out of his hair and eyes.

Kitsune's namesake-worthy grin returned. "I guess I need to show you mine sometime."

Jake, as if on cue, slipped again, landing on his back. They both shared another laugh before Kitsune left Jake to finish his shower. Twenty minutes later, they both left the teashop and headed towards the inn. Neither could find words to strike up a conversation. Walking side by side, they merely listened to the sounds of the rustling trees and their own footsteps on the cobblestone.

* * *

"There," Keitaro said as he finished fastening the very large banner to a beam in the ceiling of the grand hall. He stepped down and looked at it with a satisfied look. It read in English, "Welcome New Manager".

Naru approached Keitaro, wrapped an arm around his waist, kissed him on the cheek and said, "It looks nice. Good job." Keitaro nodded in appreciation.

The front door, directly behind the couple, suddenly threw open, revealing Su, decked out in military fatigues with camouflage paint on her face and a black beanie covering her bright golden blonde hair. "They're coming, everyone," she exclaimed. Everyone then rushed to put the finishing touches on all the decorations.

* * *

Twilight settled over the sky as Jake and Kitsune reached the final set of stairs leading to the inn. Jake asked Kitsune, who was still bounding up the stairs leisurely, "Man, I'm beat. How do you go up and down these steps so much everyday without getting exhausted?"

Kitsune shrugged, "I still get tired, I'm just used to it I suppose. It looks like we missed it." Her last sentence was spoken as if at random, and a look of longing crossed her brow.

Jake peered quizzically at Kitsune. "What do you mean?"

"It's gotten dark already," Kitsune replied.

Jake returned, "Ah, I see," realizing she was referring to the sunset. A nagging thought tugged at Jake's conscious. _"What's with her and that?"_ He resisted the growing urge to ask her about it, however. It was none of his business.

Reaching the top of the stairs and stepping onto the cobblestone leading to the entrance to the inn snapped Jake back into reality. Kitsune paused, placing her hands on her hips. "That's interesting. All of the lights are off."

Jake broke out in a silly grin and cackled, "The oldest trick in the book."

"Eh?" Kitsune asked.

Jake smirked, "Don't take me for a fool, Kitsune. I know what you all planned."

Jake then acted out the scene, "We walk into the darkness, then the lights go on and you all yell 'surprise' or something to that effect."

Kitsune chuckled, "I told them you were probably too smart for that. Oh well, I have a better idea anyway. Come on!" Kitsune grabbed Jake by the arm and pulled him toward the side entrance to the left of the main entrance.

* * *

The contingent of residents crouched in the dark, waiting to spring into action. Five minutes passed. Then another five. And another. Naru, annoyed and in pain from a leg cramp, whispered to Su, "I thought you said they were coming?"

Su replied with a shrug, "They were." Keitaro suggested Su check again, and Su complied. Thirty seconds after sneaking back out the front door, Su returned. "They are gone!" she exclaimed.

The four hiding in the shadows stood up simultaneously and screamed all at once, in stereo, "WHAT?"

The lights in the room suddenly turned on, and two voices screamed out from opposing corners, "SURPRISE!" All hell broke loose as a loud scream reverberated in the great hall from five distinct voices crying out in unison. When the dust settled, Su was hanging from the ceiling, Motoko had her sword drawn in a defensive position, with Shinobu tucked into a ball behind her, and Naru was latched onto Keitaro, who was clinging onto Mutsumi.

"Ara, ara, Kei-kun," Mutsumi giggled.

Kitsune and Jake were soon rolling on the floor laughing raucously at the chaos they had created.

The chaos finally died down after several moments. Keitaro sheepishly released his grip on Mutsumi and ducked his head, apologizing profusely. Naru, astonishingly, merely laughed. Su dropped from her extremely high perch, landing gingerly on her feet. Motoko sheathed her blade and Shinobu laughed at her own insecurity.

Jake stood and gazed at his surroundings. Balloons were everywhere, confetti littered the ground, several trays of finger foods were laid out, an icebox lie next to him, overflowing with all sorts of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, and an enormous banner hung from the ceiling.

"This is all for me?" he asked as a grin grew on his face.

Shinobu's face beamed. "Yes! Please enjoy it," she said, bowing deeply at the waist.

"Thanks, guys," Jake said, awestruck.

Kitsune clapped her hands. "Alright, let's get this party started," she declared, turning on the stereo.

The party mostly consisted of everyone sitting around telling embarrassing stories, including the now infamous lingerie gifts, which were Jake's idea, earning him a few tosses of popcorn in his direction. About an hour later, Motoko approached Jake, holding a small, gift-wrapped box behind her back. "Excuse me, Jake?"

Jake, seated on the floor, quickly stood up. "Yes?" he asked politely, unsure why she had approached him.

"I realize I have been, well, a pain in your neck since you got here," Motoko stated.

Jake, attempting to deflect some of the now obvious guilt Motoko was displaying, replied, "No, you haven't." waving his hands dismissively.

Motoko persisted, "No, I really have. After talking to everyone today while preparing everything here, I realize I've been a little…unapproachable."

Jake nodded in agreement apprehensively, but once again tried to save face for her, "I understand though. It's hard when you try so hard for something and end up failing."

Motoko hanged her head. He was obviously referring to her recent testing failure at Toudai. Jake saw the pain in her eyes. _"It must be hard for someone of her conviction to accept failure," _he thought. "I know the feeling," he said to her softly.

Motoko shook her head and looked at Jake again with a forced smile. "Anyway," she began, "I got you a little something." She revealed the box to him. "A peace offering."

Jake grinned at the little box in her hand. "You didn't have to get me anything," he said as he took it from her. "Do you mind if I open it now?" he asked.

Motoko shook her head. Jake carefully unwrapped the small present, and opened the box, revealing a silver keychain with a miniature baseball attached to it. Motoko apologetically said, "I had to ask Keitaro what you would like. Sorry."

Jake closed the box and shook his head strongly, replying, "No, it's great. That was very thoughtful of you. Thank you very much."

Motoko held out her right hand. "Friends?" she asked.

"Of course," Jake replied. Jake placed his hand in hers, half expecting another forceful handshake. However, Motoko kept her grip soft and level. _"So, she can be gentle after all," _Jake thought, smiling at her. Motoko returned his smile.

The party continued on without a hitch, except for the ones who were of drinking age having two or three too many. Mutsumi was the first to retire, escorted to her room by Shinobu after getting a little too touchy-feely with the two men in attendance. About a half-hour later, Naru and Keitaro stumbled and giggled upstairs together, but any naughty thoughts were dispelled by the muffled sound of Keitaro getting launched out of a window. Shinobu and Su fell asleep in the middle of the floor. Motoko fell asleep sitting on the couch, clutching a tiny English vocabulary book to her chest, leaving Jake and Kitsune as the only ones left awake.

"I guess I should get going, then," Kitsune said, stumbling to her feet. Jake tried to stand, but his legs buckled and he crashed to the floor, laughing softly to avoid waking the three younger residents. "You can't hold your liquor for anything," Kitsune slurred.

Jake found his footing, wobbling around a bit. "You need me to walk you back?" he asked.

Kitsune walked over to Jake, nearly tripping over her own feet in the process. She tapped him on the nose with her index finger and said, "I'll be just fine. I do this kind of thing all the time. You go get some sleep." Kitsune winked at him, turned and walked toward the exit.

Jake was about to turn towards the stairs when he saw Kitsune stutter-step before freezing in place. Jake instinctively rushed over to her and, showing amazing dexterity for his impaired condition, caught her in his arms before she collapsed to the floor. With a grunt, he lifted Kitsune into his arms and carried her out of the inn, his path illuminated by the full moon and a clear night sky. Kitsune drifted in and out of consciousness, thanking Jake and telling him she can make it back by herself at the same time.

When he made it back to the teashop, he tried the door, but of course, it was locked. With a whisper, he asked for Kitsune's forgiveness as he searched around her pockets with his arm that was hoisting her torso. His arms were beginning to buckle under the strain of holding Kitsune's limp body by the time he fished out her keys and unlocked the front door. He heaved and panted up the stairs, kicking open her bedroom door. Seeing his goal, he used the last of his strength to shuffle over to the bed and lay Kitsune down gently on the blanket. After resting a moment, he removed her shoes, lifted her up to pull the blanket out from under her and covered her with it. Kitsune continued to mumble under her breath the whole while.

Satisfied that she was comfortable, Jake whispered goodnight to Kitsune, moving to his feet. He took no more than one step before Kitsune grabbed his hand and with pain etched in her voice, said strongly, "Don't leave me."

Jake's heart caught in his chest. His brain swam in the fog of alcohol on his breath as he gazed at her. Instinct won over reason. He squeezed her hand and leaned towards her. "Kitsune?" he whispered as his lips approached hers.

When he was two inches away, Kitsune smiled and cooed, "Seta-san."

Jake's eyes widened in shock. His drunken brain tried desperately to decipher what she had just said. _"Seta? She's in love with Seta?" _He pulled away slowly and released Kitsune's hand, which fell limp. Jake wondered what he was thinking as the sound of Kitsune's steady breathing filled the room. He almost took advantage of a woman that was in love with another man.

Jake, now with a severe headache from trying to think with an impaired brain, stumbled out of the teashop to avoid further embarrassment. His thoughts haunted him for the entirety of his inebriated journey back to his room at Hinata Inn. Without even removing his shoes, Jake collapsed in a heap on his futon, immediately losing consciousness.


	8. Fates

Disclaimer: On chapter 1.

Love's Redemption: Chapter 7

_Two weeks after the party, Jake continues avoiding Kitsune. Her unintended revelation, though seemingly ridiculous since Seta is married to Haruka, troubled the young man. He has not been caught alone with her for any extended length of time since that evening. He fails to realize however, that Kitsune has no recollection of muttering her old crush's name, although she did experience a vivid dream about him that night._

_On a more positive note, Jake has since formed solid relationships with all of the other tenants, Motoko included. He managed to help Shinobu with her homework, go out for tea with the Toudai-seis, and has been a guinea pig for a number of Su's wacky inventions. Motoko has warmed up considerably, greeting Jake with courteous smiles and polite words._

_With his tryouts just around the corner, Jake has been blind to how much things have changed in the short time since he arrived. Keitaro hardly ever gets Naru-punched or blasted by one of Motoko's chi attacks anymore since Jake took over as manager, as he no longer has the opportunity to stumble out into the hot spring to clean it while the girls are bathing, or slip into one of the bathrooms while they are occupied. Mutsumi no longer lavishes so much attention on Keitaro, giving his relationship with Naru room to blossom. Instead, she prefers to exert her flirtatious mannerisms onto Jake, much to his and a few of the others' chagrins._

The sun was shining with nary a cloud in the sky, birds were chirping, and the _sakura_ were beginning to blossom all over. In front of _Hinata Sou_, Jake and Keitaro were playing long catch. Despite outward appearances, Keitaro was actually quite proficient at the activity.

"Only a week left, eh, Jake?" Keitaro asked, throwing the baseball back to Jake.

"Yup," Jake replied, backing up a step and moving to his left slightly to catch the ball.

"You nervous?" Keitaro asked.

Jake smiled and tossed the ball back to Keitaro, hitting his outstretched glove dead in the center. "Ask me again in a few days."

Keitaro reached back to throw the ball to Jake, but he paused when he heard the footsteps of someone running up the stairs to the inn. Shinobu's head appeared from the stairway, and she sprinted past both men, running into the inn without greeting either of them. She appeared visibly shaken, as if she had been crying.

Jake glanced at Keitaro with a concerned look on his face. "I guess we're done for now," Jake concluded. Keitaro nodded and they both followed after Shinobu.

Naru was relaxing on one of the sofas in the main hall reading a book when the front door suddenly slammed open. Naru reflexively flinched and watched in concern as Shinobu ran by her and up the stairs without saying a word, sobbing heavily. "Shinobu-chan, what's wrong?" Naru asked as the young teen ran by, to no avail.

Jake and Keitaro followed soon after. Naru, drawing conclusions as usual, leapt to her feet and waved a fist in Keitaro's direction. "Up to your old tricks again are you?" Naru growled.

Keitaro put his arms out in front of himself and shook his head fervidly. "N-n-Narusegawa, don't be ridiculous."

Jake slipped his sandals on and stepped into the common room, dropping his glove onto the table. "She ran right by us too. I wonder if something happened after school today?"

Naru dropped her fist and glanced over at the staircase with a concerned expression. "Let's go find out."

A minute later, the trio stood outside Shinobu's room, glancing at each other. Naru finally stepped forward and sighed, "Oh all right." She hesitated for a moment after she heard the muffled sound of Shinobu weeping into a pillow from beyond the door. Naru inhaled slowly, then rapped her hand on the door lightly and called out Shinobu's name.

Instantly the bawling stopped, replaced by the sound of ruffling sheets. "Just a moment, please," Shinobu called out from beyond the barrier. Her voice was shaky, as if she were trying to act like her normal, cheery self. But she failed miserably. Even a stranger could hear the pain in her voice.

Naru glanced back at the two men who were standing there, patiently looking on. After a moment, the sound of footsteps approaching Shinobu's door reached the trio's ears, and they fidgeted nervously. The paper doors slid open a foot, and Shinobu popped out from the opening. Her uniform was rumpled on her body and there was an obvious tearstain on her sweater, just below her chin. She had a trained, fake smile practically painted on her face. Unfortunately, her act could not belie her eyes, which were puffy and reddened.

"Yes?" she asked in her most bubbly voice, but with a stuffy nose, it sounded more like someone was pinching her nose closed as she spoke.

Naru placed her hand on Shinobu's shoulder, rubbing it slightly. "Are you okay, Shinobu-chan? You've been crying."

Shinobu shook her head briskly in denial. "No, I haven't."

Keitaro stepped forward. "We all saw you as you ran in, Shinobu-chan. Is there anything we can do?"

Her attempted bluff smooth-called, Shinobu drew inward, visibly embarrassed. Giving Keitaro one last glance out of the corner of her eye, Shinobu slammed her door shut, new tears pouring forth as her crying began again. The three could hear Shinobu run back to her bed and flop back down onto it.

Naru turned around and smiled at the two men. "You boys mind waiting downstairs? I'll find out what's bugging her. It's probably some girl thing anyway."

Nodding in agreement, the two men sulked away as Naru announced herself before letting herself into Shinobu's room.

Jake quipped up, "Is she normally this sensitive?"

Keitaro shrugged. "She is pretty sensitive. But I've only see her hurt like that once before."

* * *

Naru spent the first five minutes in Shinobu's room consoling her as she wailed mercilessly into her pillow. After Shinobu finally began to calm down, and becoming confident that she was capable of responding, Naru asked her, "Did something happen at school today?"

Shinobu slowly sat up. Naru offered a tissue, but Shinobu took the whole box from her hand. After wiping her tears from her eyes and blowing her nose, Shinobu took a deep breath and mustered a response. "It's just silly. I don't even know what I'm crying about. I'm just being stupid."

Naru chuckled at Shinobu and nodded her head knowingly. Shinobu, slightly annoyed, asked, "What's so funny Narusegawa-sempai?"

Naru knelt before Shinobu's bed, her eyes gleaming. "So what's his name?" she asked, her voice dripping with glee.

Shinobu went into her patented panic mode. "W-w-what are you t-talking about? What do you mean by that?"

Naru stood up and pointed a finger a Shinobu. "It's obvious. You are having boy trouble!"

Shinobu gasped, placing a hand over her mouth. "How did you know?"

Naru chuckled haughtily. "I went through the same type of thing with Seta-san. I guess you confessed to this guy and he shot you down, huh? You want me to kick his ass for you?"

Shinobu shook her head briskly at Naru, who was shadow boxing an imaginary opponent. "It is not quite like that! The thing is…" Shinobu's voice trailed off.

Naru lowered her hands, furrowing her brow. "What is it then? Are two guys fighting over you? Yeah, and the one you like more lost to the other guy, so now you have to date a sleazy grease ball of a man, because you made a promise to date whomever won!" Naru stared off into the distance with a dreamy look in her eyes.

"Stop making up stories!" Shinobu shrieked. After a heavy sigh, she said, "Some boy confessed to me today."

Naru gasped. "Really? That's fantastic! Is he cute?"

"Yes."

"Is his family nice?"

"I guess so."

"Does he have money?"

"How would I know!?"

"When are you going out?"

"We're not…"

"Why not?"

"Because I like someone else!"

"Who is it? Some hunk a grade above you I bet!"

"URASHIMA-SEMPAI, OKAY?"

Shinobu realized immediately that she let the cat out of the bag. She slammed her hands over her mouth, her eyes gaping open, her whole body frozen in place. She stared in horror at Naru, deathly afraid of what she might do in response.

Naru stood frozen in place herself, momentarily surprised by Shinobu's sudden and emphatic confession. She knew, like everyone else, that Shinobu had an enormous crush on Keitaro. Well, everyone but Keitaro, since he was such a dunce. Fortunately, Naru was able to recompose herself. Speaking in an understanding tone, Naru said calmly, "I know, Shinobu-chan."

Shinobu's hands dropped from her mouth, which stood gaping wide. "You knew? How did you know?"

Naru giggled at the blur haired teenager and ran a hand through her short hair. "You couldn't make it any more obvious if you just came out and confessed to him in front of everyone."

Shinobu hung her head. "So, everyone knows then?"

Naru knelt before Shinobu, so their eyes met. "Everyone but your crush."

After a moment of silence, Naru asked the inevitable question, "Are you going to confess?" Shinobu closed her eyes and shook her head.

"Why not?" Naru pondered.

Shinobu looked Naru in the eyes, her vision blurred by fluid forming in her tear ducts. "Because I already know his answer."

Naru could only watch as Shinobu fell back onto her bed, crying new tears of longing. Naru understood Shinobu's predicament perfectly. Shinobu was in love with Keitaro, but her love was unrequited. Although it was painfully obvious, her crush was completely ignorant. It was a perfect reflection of her old crush on Seta. A twang of guilt pierced Naru's heart as she recalled she is currently dating the man Shinobu is so desperate for.

Naru sat next to Shinobu, gently rubbing her back. "I'm so sorry, Shinobu-chan." Naru began tearing up as well. She looked upwards to compose herself, wiping the quickly forming tears from her eyes with her free hand.

Shinobu squirmed over to Naru and hugged her around the waist. Between heavy sobs, she asked, "I'm so jealous of you, Narusegawa-sempai. And I hate myself for it. What should I do?"

Naru concluded immediately that just telling her to confess would be ineffectual. However, keeping such a secret to herself was obviously wearing on the teenager's heart. There was only one option.

"I think you should try going out with him," Naru told Shinobu, giving her several reaffirming squeezes.

Shinobu blanched. "W-w-with Urashima-sempai?"

Naru laughed and shook her head. "With 'him'. The guy who confessed."

The color returned to Shinobu's face. "But I don't really feel the same way about him that he feels about me."

Naru explained her reasoning, "Shinobu-chan, I understand your situation perfectly. I've been there. But I learned something a while back. There is no such thing as a perfect guy. There is only the perfect one for you. You are holding out for something that is not meant to be. And everyone deserves a chance at love. I'm sure you can understand. If you think about it, the guy that confessed to you is going through the same thing you are."

Shinobu had never heard that line of reasoning before, but it made perfect sense. A number of potential suitors had proclaimed their adoration for her in that promenade after school, but she had turned each one of them down. For the first time, she realized that she was inflicting the same kind of pain she was feeling herself.

The proverbial light clicked on over Shinobu's head. She could learn to love another man. If the man was already in love with her, the battle was already half over. She wouldn't have to worry about the way he feels about her. She decided to take Naru's advice.

"I understand you perfectly, Narusegawa-sempai. I'll ask him tomorrow," Shinobu said, positively beaming at Naru.

Naru returned Shinobu's smile. "I'm so glad to hear it, Shinobu-chan. Feel better now?"

Shinobu wiped the last of the tears from her eyes and nodded. "Thank you very much for helping me. I think I have the courage now."

Naru asked, "The courage for what?"

Shinobu's cheeks reddened as she spoke, "The courage to tell sempai how I feel. I already know his response, but I feel that I need to tell him how I feel before I let him go."

Naru smiled at the young girl, her eyes going misty one last time. "Thank you, Shinobu-chan."

The two young women stood and shared a warm hug before Shinobu excused herself to wash her face. Naru went back downstairs, noticing Jake, with his face smeared with banana, was chasing Su around while Keitaro observed, laughing. Naru approached Keitaro from behind and slipped her arm around his waist.

"Everything okay, Narusegawa?" Keitaro asked. Naru simply smiled and nodded.

Jake was fleeing from one of Su's mecha-tamas when Shinobu reappeared with her normal, cheery demeanor. She approached Keitaro and asked, "Sempai, can I speak with you for a few minutes?"

Keitaro glanced at Naru, who released her arm from him and nodded in approval. "Sure Shinobu-chan. Are you feeling better?" Naru scooted Jake and Su outside, letting herself out as well, leaving Shinobu to speak with Keitaro privately.

Shinobu stared into Keitaro's eyes for a moment. A concerned expression on his face, Keitaro asked, "What is it, Shinobu-chan?"

Shinobu closed her eyes for a moment, steeling her nerves. She refocused her eyes back onto Keitaro, and began her confession: "Sempai, I…"

* * *

_Shinobu was correct in assuming Keitaro's reaction. He was highly flattered, but of course, he could not return her affection. This did not sadden Shinobu, at least in front of Keitaro. She simply told him what she needed to say and left it at that. Afterwards, in private, Shinobu wept her final tears for Keitaro._

_Shinobu kept her word and went on a date with her classmate who confessed to her. Naturally, when the tenants met the young man, they disdainfully warned him against trying anything…extracurricular, including a particularly colorful threat from Motoko involving the boy consuming his own testicles._

_Shinobu's life turned a corner in a positive direction. She became increasingly extroverted, quickly acquiring new friends, who often came to visit Hinata Sou. No longer afraid to speak to others, she began to acquire a male following. Her grades also began to improve, the young woman finding it easier to study and take notes without being sidetracked with dreamy thoughts about her sempai._

_It's been a week since the incident known as "The Confession". That day triggered a life change for Shinobu. Today will trigger a life change for the new manager. Today is the day of the tryouts for the Yomiuri Giants._

It was an early morning for Jake. Actually, it had been a long night that continued into the morning. He couldn't sleep. His eyes were closed, but his mind's eye remained opened, offering his drained consciousness little rest. A million scenarios played out in his mind. Most of them were negative, such as forgetting his glove or his cleats. However, some were sublime, giving him courage.

Weary eyed but confident, Jake took a seat at the breakfast table, smiling at his onlookers, who glanced at him through their peripheral vision. "Morning" he said in greeting, snatching himself a plate from the middle of the table.

The tenants responded to their manager with half-hearted replies. Jake looked at each of the residents, each of them seemingly trying to avoid making eye contact with him. "What's the matter, everyone?" he asked.

Keitaro, keeping his head down, replied, "We don't want to interfere with _the zone_."

Jake chuckled at their concern. "You guys are making me more nervous acting all weird like this. Please, just act normal."

Everyone's expressions softened, but they sat there in silence, at least until Shinobu entered, carrying this morning's breakfast, the usual raucous cheering accompanying her presence. "Good morning, Jake-san," Shinobu said, placing two large platters filled with assorted foods on the table. "Did you sleep well?"

"Not even a wink, Shinobu-chan," Jake told the young woman, his voice dripping with cheery sarcasm.

Shinobu adopted a quizzical look as she reached behind her back to remove her apron. When she saw the dark circles under Jake's eyes, she got the joke. "Ah, I'm sorry."

As Shinobu sat, chuckling at herself, Motoko asked, "Will you be all right, Jake? You look exhausted."

Jake nodded at the ronin, musing, "I'll be fine. I figure it like this: I'll either be so tired that I won't be able to think, which will help, or so tired that I won't be able to pitch."

Mutsumi leaned forward, tilting her head towards the American. "And what if you can't pitch, Ja-kun?"

Jake chuckled and shrugged. "Then I don't make the team, I guess. At least it would be because of fatigue and not because I can't pitch even when I am fully awake." Mutsumi could only nod and smile at the American's strange wisdom.

Kitsune, who had been busy filling a plate with food, turned to Jake and replaced his empty plate with the one she had been filling. The pair smiled at each other sheepishly. "Thanks," Jake said appreciatively. Kitsune nodded back at him.

Jake continued to watch Kitsune as she hummed a random tune, serving herself with Jake's formerly empty plate. "_I wish I knew what you were thinking_," Jake thought to himself.

After swallowing a bite of breakfast, Keitaro asked, "What time do you need to be there, Jake?"

Jake snapped from his thoughts and looked down at his wristwatch. It said 8:12. "Three-thirty," Jake replied.

Keitaro nodded and said, "We should get going pretty soon after breakfast then. It's quite the drive out there."

"Yeah," Jake replied, picking idly at his plate. He didn't feel very hungry.

Naru noticed this and produced a small bottle of pills from her purse. "Here, Jake," she said, tossing him the bottle.

Jake reacted just in time to catch the bottle before it smacked him in the forehead. Glancing at the labeling, but unable to decipher it, he asked, "What's this?"

Naru responded, "They'll help your appetite. You need to eat, you know."

Jake thanked Naru and swallowed three pills from the bottle with water. He then tried his best to eat as much as his stomach would allow.

Twenty minutes later, Jake finished the last of the food on his plate. Naru winked at him and said, "Told you so."

"We should get going, Jake," Keitaro said, getting to his feet.

Jake slapped his thighs and sighed deeply, nodding his approval, although apprehensively. "Here goes nothin'," he muttered.

* * *

Keitaro pulled the van out to the front of the inn, where the tenants wished Jake good luck. Jake threw his bag into the back seat of the van, shut the door and turned to face the girls, wringing his hands. "Thanks for everything, everyone. Hopefully after today, you won't have to deal with me too much longer," Jake told them.

"Here we go!" Keitaro belted out after Jake stepped into the passenger seat. The girls cheered and waved goodbye as Keitaro put the van into gear and promptly drove down the stairs leading back to town, the hubcaps flying off the tires as if the van were a grenade that just detonated.

Motoko sweatdropped at Keitaro's unorthodox driving and asked, "Will they be all right?"

Naru chuckled and nodded. "He hasn't killed me with his driving, so Jake should be fine."

* * *

Keitaro pulled the now severely crippled van into the baseball field parking lot. It gave one last sputter and stalled. "Nice, Keitaro, remind me to call a cab for the ride back," Jake said, stretching and rubbing his neck.

Keitaro laughed and said, "I'll have it fixed up by the time we leave. Just go out there and show them what you can do."

Jake stepped out of the van, taking a moment to collect his thoughts. Closing his eyes, he slowly emptied his lungs. Opening his eyes again, he nodded at Keitaro and headed for the field.

The field appeared more like a Roman coliseum than a baseball field behind Jake's eyes. Large, muscular Japanese men loitered around the outfield grass, stretching their limbs like gladiators preparing for mortal combat. As Jake passed, some of the men glared at him as if he was their next opponent to slaughter to become champion of the games. If looks could kill, he would have been roasted on the spot.

Many of the men were much taller than Jake was, painting a completely opposite picture in his mind than what he was expecting. During his stay in Japan, almost all of the people he had met were shorter than he was. He was expecting the same at his tryouts, but it was not to be.

Keeping his head down to avoid any glares, Jake walked towards an empty spot on the field, sitting down to begin stretching. As he performed his leg stretches, his eyes scanned the field. There was a spattering of Americans also there to tryout. "_At least I'm not alone_," he thought. But he realized he was still deep in enemy territory.

It appeared the pitching tryouts had already begun, since there was several people watching a young Japanese right-hander throw pitches to the plate. Jake watched as the pitcher missed his location several times. A shorter, middle-aged man, obviously a scout, turned away and dismissed the pitcher angrily. Jake winced and shook his head at the young man's tough luck. "_I'd better hit my spots_," he thought, clenching his jaw.

Jake stood and shook his arms out, beginning his pre-toss warm ups. While stretching out his left shoulder, Jake noticed a Japanese man jogging in his direction. The man slowed as he approached Jake more closely. The man bowed slightly several times nervously and asked Jake in broken English, "You, uh, throw ball? Warm up?" With that, the young man produced a baseball and mocked throwing it at Jake.

Jake smiled at the man, who stood an inch shorter than he, with disheveled dark hair and a sincere smile. Jake bent over to get his glove and introduced himself in Japanese, "Sure. My name is Jake. It's a pleasure to meet you." Jake extended his right hand.

The man blinked in shock for a moment before recovering. "You speak Japanese. That's great!" Shaking Jake's hand, the young man introduced himself, "I'm Ichigo. It's nice to meet you." The awkward introduction aside, the two men began playing catch to warm up their throwing arms.

After about 10 minutes of throwing, a teenaged boy dashed over to Ichigo and muttered to him a few words that Jake couldn't hear. Ichigo threw the ball back to Jake and told him, "I guess I'm up! Thanks a lot!"

Jake caught the ball and called out, "Good luck," as he watched Ichigo dash to the infield. Jake sat and watched Ichigo take infield practice with several scouts watching him. He also took batting practice between pitching tryouts. Jake smiled as the scouts nodded in approval of Ichigo's hitting ability. It seemed like he might have a spot on the roster, or at the very least an invite to Spring training.

After Ichigo left the field, pumping his fist and greeting his family with hugs, Jake saw the same teenager that approached Ichigo headed in his direction. Jake quickly got to his feet and bowed at the young man. "Jake Robertson?" the teen asked, peering at Jake.

Jake nodded, "Yes."

The teen marked a sheet of paper with a pen. "They are ready for you now. Please hurry over." The young man bowed politely before rushing off to another player. Jake steeled his nerves and sauntered toward the mound.

The two scouts glared in Jake's direction, muttering something to each other under their breath, as he approached. Jake inwardly cringed. "_Whatever that's about, it can't be good_."

Without even a greeting, one of the scouts pointed toward the mound, gesturing for Jake to get up there straight away. Jake complied immediately, not wanting to get even further under the scouts' skins.

A catcher at the plate threw Jake a baseball. Jake caught it and rubbed his hands over the ball to warm it up to his body temperature. Stepping back onto the rubber, Jake raised his glove into a set position over his face. He glowered over the glove, his eyes staring into the back of the catcher's glove. Jake closed his eyes for a moment to focus. "_Just hit your spots, and you'll be fine. You can do this. Just like you've done a million times._" The tension melted from Jake's shoulders and his body relaxed as he reopened his eyes and focused them back onto his target.

"Let's go!" the scout barked. On queue, Jake put up one finger toward the catcher, indicating he was throwing his fastball.

Jake went into his windup: He looked down as he turned his body, watching as his left foot planted on the front edge of the rubber. Certain he had his footing, Jake looked back at his target, raising his right leg as high as he could. Pushing off the rubber with his left leg, Jake pulled the baseball from his glove, preparing for his delivery. His right foot hit the ground parallel to the catcher's glove, perfectly positioned. Jake twisted his hips, using the power stored from his lower body for his pitch.

As his upper body came toward the plate, Jake ripped his throwing arm forward and loosed the ball, watching as it sailed towards the plate…

* * *

Six Hours Later…

Su plopped her rump onto the floor in disgusted boredom. "Where are they?" she whined.

Motoko sat more gingerly onto a sofa. "They should be here any minute now. Relax."

Kitsune put her legs up on the table and sighed. "It's about time. I'm ready to get the party started."

Naru chuckled and nudged Kitsune playfully. "When are you not ready to party?"

Mutsumi, who had passed out only moments before, removed the damp cloth from her head and sat up from her lying position. "Did I miss anything?"

Shinobu assisted Mutsumi in sitting up and offered her a hot beverage. "No, Mutsumi-san. Here, drink this."

After several minutes of mindless chatter, the girls froze when they heard the sound of Keitaro's van pull into the parking lot. Su bounced to her feet. "They're back!"

"I'll get the liquor," Kitsune said, pulling herself to her feet and dashing to the kitchen.

Mutsumi watched in delight as the girls scattered around, preparing for the men's entrance.

The girls lined up in front of the door, grinning and nodding at each other.

After a few moments of tenuous silence, the front door slid open, revealing a somber Jake.

The girls recited their practiced line, "Welcome back, Mister Professional Baseball Player!"

Jake stood flabbergasted as Su released confetti over him, Mutsumi hung a lei on his neck, Naru forced a cigar in his mouth, and Kitsune pushed a glass of sake in his hand. Motoko, of course, looked on stoically, shaking her head and smirking at the meaningless festivities. Shinobu turned the stereo on, signaling for everyone to join her.

Keitaro entered and cringed when he saw the girls pushing Jake into the house. "_This isn't good_," he thought.

Jake objected as the girls forcibly pressed him into the room to dance. "Stop, guys, please," he said meekly. Modesty getting him nowhere, Jake belted out, "Stop!" At once, the girls froze in place, the only sound coming from the speakers blaring out some Japanese pop song.

Keitaro rushed over and turned the stereo off. Jake hung his head and said, "There's no need to do this."

Kitsune cocked her head in Jake's direction, "What do you mean? Why not?"

Jake sulked over to the table, put his glass of alcohol on the table, removed the lei from his neck and dropped it to the floor.

Naru peered over at Keitaro, who responded by shaking his head at her.

Jake flopped onto a sofa and buried his head in his hands.

Motoko stepped toward where Jake sat and asked, "Should you not be happy right now?"

Motoko was taken aback when Jake raised his head, seeing tears forming in the corners of his eyes. He stared Motoko dead in the face and said pitifully, "I didn't make it."

* * *

Author's Note: Whoa, it's been a while between updates. Better late than never, I suppose. Most of my time is still going towards Hajime no Keitaro, but as that story begins to reach its conclusion, I'll be spending more time developing this story. Please continue to review and let me know what you think.


	9. Life

Love's Redemption: Chapter 8

"I failed," Jake sobbed. He plopped into one of the chairs, burying his face in his hands.

Shinobu ran over to the stereo and turned it off. The silence was deafening in the room for the next several minutes as the bad news sank in among the Hinata Sou residents.

Naru elbowed Keitaro in the ribs. "Why didn't you warn us?" she whispered with a hiss.

"He didn't want me to say anything. Neither of us were expecting you guys to do this," Keitaro quietly answered. "If I had known, I would have said something."

Jake, rubbing away the quickly forming tears in his eyes, blubbered, "I don't know what I'm going to do." He felt a warm hand press against his back comfortingly. He looked up at Kitsune, who had seated herself on the arm of his chair. She smiled at him, softly rubbing his back. Jake unconsciously leaned into Kitsune, resting his head on her side.

Keitaro removed his jacket and tossed it on the arm of the chair opposite of Jake's. "I'll tell you what we're going to do: we are going to drink like fish, eat junk food, have some fun conversation, play some games, sing some karaoke, and forget this ever happened."

Jake chuckled lightly under his breath. "Another one of those?" Whenever he, Keitaro, or one of his college friends ever failed an exam or experienced some other form of failure, they would cheer each other up by binging on food and drink and generally make complete fools of themselves. It never failed to work.

"That sounds like fun," Mutsumi said. Several heads nodded in agreement.

Kitsune jumped up and tossed beer and soda around to everyone. Before taking a long pull on his drink, Jake stood up and raised his beer over his head. "A toast," he declared. "For nothing good ever comes out of something that is done right the first time: to failure!"

"To failure!" Keitaro and Mutsumi exclaimed at the same time. Naru shook her head and rolled her eyes.

The others apprehensively raised their drinks and timidly muttered, "To failure."

Jake lowered his beer to his lips, paused momentarily to sigh, and guzzled half of his can in a single gulp.

"Hit the music, Shinobu-chan," Jake ordered, pointing feverishly at the stereo.

"Sure," Shinobu replied, turning the volume back up on the dated but reliable audio system.

Not a single tear was shed the rest of that evening. Hinata Hot Springs echoed with the sound of music, laughing, and extremely off-pitch singing until sunrise.

* * *

Jake cracked his eyes open and immediately regretted it. He clamped them shut, feeling as if molten metal was being poured onto his pupils. He laid his arm over his face, trying to block the brightness of the morning sun, but he could do nothing to prevent the incessant chirping from the songbirds outside his window. "Shut up, will you?" he asked, turning onto his side, his back to the window. If anything, the chirping became louder. 

Jake bolted upright, angrily tossing his blanket away from his body. "Alright, fine. I'll get up." The bird closest to his room responded with several short chirps, as if saying thank you. Jake realized he had no idea what time it was, and he glanced at the floor around him, looking for his wristwatch. Finding it, he snatched it up, blinking with annoyance as he waited for his eyes to adjust to the bright light shining through the window behind him.

His watch read eleven-thirty. It was likely Jake was the last to wake in the house. Jake stood and stretched, letting out a loud yawn. There was some soreness in his throwing arm, but he ignored it, as it served only to make him recall the events of the previous afternoon. As he stepped towards the bathroom, he noticed his breath was as foul as a sewer. In fact, his whole body was emitting a foul odor.

Twenty minutes later, Jake was soaking his freshly clean, aching body in the hot spring. He closed his eyes, letting the sounds of his surroundings envelop him. He could hear Shinobu hanging laundry on the line on the roof, the sound of the ruffling sheets in the breeze muffling the sound of Motoko's sword slicing through the air.

Jake opened his eyes, seeing a bird chirping from its nest in a nearby tree. He wondered what exactly he would do next. Failure seemed to cling to him like a shroud, following him thousands of miles across the Pacific. Was there even any point in trying to pursue a career in baseball? After all, he had a degree and could easily find a well-paying job, be it in Japan or back in the States. He could shack up back at home until he found his own place. After all, he was sure his mother and sisters missed him dearly.

Thinking about his family reminded him that he promised to call them after his tryout. He slapped the steaming water with his left arm in frustration. Every thought seemed to lead back to his failure. He just wanted to forget about everything that went wrong the past few weeks. Closing his eyes once again, Jake let out a heaving sigh, sinking once again into the water.

As idle minds tend to wander, Kitsune leapt into Jake's mind. He had no idea what to say or do around her, but he could never quite shake the thought of her from his mind. It had been quite some time since the two shared any real meaningful conversation, and there seemed to be an ever-widening gap between them; a gap with no passable bridge in sight. Another sigh escaped Jake's lips as he dipped his head underneath the naturally heated water, air bubbles passing from his mouth to the surface.

* * *

Later that afternoon, after going through the motions getting the building straightened up after the previous night, Jake was catnapping on the sofa when he heard the front door slide open. Turning his head and poking an eye open, Jake saw Keitaro step in and shut the door behind him. 

"Hey," Jake greeted him unenthusiastically, not bothering to sit up.

"Hey, Jake. How are things?" Keitaro asked, kicking off his shoes and stepping into his slippers.

"Same as always."

"Tired?"

Jake shrugged his shoulders. "Just trying to bury my head in the sand, I guess."

Keitaro sat in the chair across from Jake, putting his legs up on the table. "School sucks," Keitaro noted off-handedly. He could tell Jake was in no mood to discuss his own current events, so he decided to change the subject. However, he did not lie with his statement.

Jake chuckled through his closed eyes. "At least you have a nice place to come home to."

"Yeah, I guess," Keitaro replied, gazing around the room. "Thanks to you, for the most part."

Jake chuckled. "It's pretty easy to keep the place up when you aren't making a mess by getting yourself thrown out windows and through walls."

"Again, thanks to you."

"I don't feel like I've done a damn thing," Jake finally admitted, putting a hand on his brow. "It's like I've been running on a treadmill; busting my ass but getting nowhere."

"I know the feeling," Keitaro said, but offered nothing further. Having spent the vast majority of his life competing from the losers' bracket, Keitaro knew there were no magic words that would lift the cloud of dread hanging over Jake's head. It would take time, and little else.

"I haven't the first damn clue what to do from here," Jake said.

"Well, feel free to take as much time as you need," Keitaro said. "I'm in no rush to replace you."

Jake broke out in a crooked grin. "It's good to know I have at least some job security."

Keitaro chuckled. "Well, you are probably the only person in this whole country with an undergrad degree that would take this job for this pay."

"Maybe I should negotiate a raise, then. You shouldn't be able to afford me, after all."

"I guess I should get a job posting put together, if that's the case," Keitaro said sarcastically.

The two laughed at each other a bit, sitting in silence for a few moments. The telephone rang, breaking the silence.

"I'll get it," Keitaro said, rising from his seat.

Jake lay there, unmoving. He honestly could not care less who was on the phone. Were he alone, he would have been content to let the damned thing ring all night without answering it. A few short moments later, however, his mind was changed.

Keitaro popped his head back into the room. "Jake, it's Jane on the phone for you. She sounded a little distraught."

Jake snapped upright, cursing. "I forgot I was supposed to call them!" He jumped to his feet and ran past Keitaro to the phone, picking up the receiver. "Jane, what's the matter?"

Fifteen minutes later, Jake said goodbye to his sister and hung the receiver back on the phone. He walked sullenly back to the great room where Keitaro sat reading the morning newspaper. "It looks like you'll need to get that job posting put together after all, Keitaro," Jake said, his voice cracking.

"What's going on?" Keitaro asked, setting aside the newspaper.

"I need to fly home right away," Jake said matter-of-factly, moving towards the staircase without looking at Keitaro.

"What happened?" Keitaro asked, his voice rising with worry.

Jake took pause. His heart hung heavy in his chest, but strangely, the words came quite easily to him. "It's my mother. Her breast cancer came back and metastasized. She's only got a few days, they said."

"Oh my God," Keitaro exclaimed, rising from his chair.

Jake kept his head down, his eyes scanning the floor for something unseen. "Yeah, that's what I said when I heard. I need to pack. Can you look up the next flight back home for me?"

"Yeah, sure," Keitaro said, dumbstruck. He could tell Jake's eyes were glazing over with tears as he watched him climb the stairs.

Jake paused halfway up the stairs. "Sorry about all this," he apologized before running up the stairs to his room.

* * *

Jake hastily packed up everything he could within the limited timeframe he was afforded, throwing clothes and other breakable items precariously into his large duffle. He didn't care about anything except getting home as soon as he could. He feared this day for over five years; ever since his mother was first diagnosed with breast cancer. Thankfully, several rounds of aggressive chemotherapy beat the cancer into remission, but now it appeared it was all for naught. He threw the last few items into his bag roughly, cursing loudly for leaving home when he was needed most. 

Jake tumbled down the stairs with his bag in tow. Keitaro was standing in the foyer. "If we leave right now, we should just barely make it," Keitaro said, looking at his wristwatch.

"I'll pay for any speeding tickets. Just get me there on time." Jake pleaded with his friend. Keitaro nodded in approval. The two men left the building and drove down the hill. Jake never looked back.

* * *

The plane ride back home lasted an eternity. There was no way Jake could sleep. Every time he dozed off some unseen force jolted him back into consciousness. He just sat there in the darkness, listening to the jet pierce through the thin 35,000-foot air, staring blankly at the seat in front of him. 

His sisters met him at the gate. After hugging them briefly, they hurried off to retrieve Jake's baggage and bolted out of the airport. Although they had a multitude of questions for him, Jake's sisters sat on either side of him in the taxi in silence. Jake appreciated his sisters' recognition of his want for peace and quiet. They too were probably mentally taxed and were pleased to get the little silence they would have before reaching their destination. That, and each of them were afraid to say what was on his or her mind.

The somber mood worsened when they reached their mother's hospital room. They had since moved her from the ICU to a regular room. All hope was lost after all. Jake hesitated in reaching out for the door handle. Jane rubbed his back sympathetically, her lower lip quivering. Silent tears fell from Jill's eyes, the ramparts of her will crumbling around her.

At last, Jake pushed open the door, letting his sisters enter the room ahead of him. As he stepped in, he saw his mother's pale, drawn face. She looked like she had fought a battle against a fearsome poltergeist that had drained the strength and color from her. Her hair was disheveled and seemed much more grey than the last time he saw her. A tube across her nose fed the oxygen her weakened body needed.

He stood still a few paces from the bed until his mother slowly turned her head in his direction. "Jake," she whispered with as much strength as she could muster with her shriveled voice.

Jake bolted to her side, taking a knee next to the bed. He clasped his hand over hers. It was cold as a bitter winter's morning. "I'm here, mom," Jake said with a distinct crack in his voice. Lifting her hand, Jake's mother stroked the side of Jake's face. Jake could hardly believe how cold her hand was on his face.

"It's been so long since I've had all three of my children together like this."

"Yeah, mom, you have a way of forcing us to get together," Jake said sarcastically. His mother laughed for a moment before a coughing fit stole her breath. After a few long moments, she finally recovered.

"I'm really glad you made it here in time," Jake's mother said between hoarse breaths. Jake cracked the tiniest of smiles. She had already accepted her fate, and he had just barely recognized the gravity of the situation. He was far behind her in the process.

"Me too, mom." He sat there unmoving for a few minutes, letting his mother touch his face and look at him. At last, he asked the unthinkable question. "What are we supposed to do without you?"

Surprisingly, Jake's mother simply smiled at him. "Don't worry about that. You kids are all grown up now. You don't need me anymore."

Jill collapsed to her knees on the other side of the bed, throwing her arms over her mother. "That's not true," she exclaimed, bawling openly. Jane covered her mouth with her hands at the sight of her little sister becoming hysterical. She sat in a nearby chair and wept silently.

Jake's mother stroked Jill's long brown hair. "Don't be scared, Jill." She turned her head to look at Jake. "I'm leaving you in good hands, isn't that right?"

Jake stared at his mother's smiling face for a moment before giving a slight nod. Leaning over to kiss his mother on the cheek, he whispered in her ear, "I'll take care of them."

"I know you will," she responded warmly, but weakly.

After another few minutes, a nurse interrupted them, saying her patient needed to get some rest. Knowing there would be many arrangements to see to, Jake told his sisters to stay with their mother while he made some phone calls.

Stepping out of the room, Jake pulled his cell phone from his pocket and dialed Keitaro's number. After a few short rings, Jake heard a click and Keitaro's voice on the other line.

"Hey, it's Jake…Yeah, she's not doing so well…It's hard to tell, it could be any time now…Yeah, that would be for the best. I don't know when or even if I can make it back…Thanks. Can you do me a favor? Would you mind apologizing to everyone there for me? Yeah, I know, I just feel bad leaving the way I did…Thanks a lot…You too. Take care." Jake closed his phone and placed it back into his pocket. He had no idea what to do from here. Hearing the door to his mother's room close behind him, Jake turned and saw the nurse smile weakly at him then turn and walk in the other direction. "Well, I guess it's as good as any place to start," he muttered, walking in the direction of the nurse's station.

* * *

Author's Note: About time I got off my ass and started writing again. Sorry about the hiatus, but I really needed it for personal reasons. Hope you enjoyed the chapter, and hopefully there will be more from me in the near future.


	10. Surprises

Love's Redemption: Chapter 9

Kitsune worked her broom on the steps leading to the entrance to the teahouse with a steady cadence. The steadily rising cloud of dust freed from the ground slowly worked its way up to her face, and she went into a coughing fit despite herself. She wondered how Haruka managed to keep the place clean without losing her patience, as she was about to do.

The sun peeked above the tree line to the east when she finished sweeping. She wondered for a moment if the pathway looked any better than when she started until she realized she only had a few minutes before the teahouse opened for business. Although the majority of the business was done during the afternoon, there were a few regular morning customers. One in particular would be quite upset if the place were not opened on time and she would hear it from him for weeks on end regardless of what she tried to do or tell him.

Kitsune doubled back up the stairs and flipped the notice sign hanging by a strand of thin rope from a ring to the left of the door from "CLOSED" to "OPEN". As she opened the doors, she heard the shuffling of footsteps approaching the stairs. "Good morning," she said with her best formal tone, praying it was not her "problem child", as she always referred to him.

"Good morning, Kitsune," the man at the bottom of the stairs said in reply. Kitsune gasped. It was not her "problem child" standing at the foot of the stairs. In fact, it was not one of her normal customers at all. However, it was a voice she did recognize, although it had been several months since she had heard it. But it was unmistakable. She had said her greeting in Japanese, and his was reply was in English.

Kitsune turned on the spot, half-expecting the man approaching her to not be there, thinking she had just imagined his voice. Yet there he stood, his hair a bit longer than she remembered, looking a bit weathered from traveling, but wearing that same warm, enchanting smile. "Jake?" she asked, squinting through the bright morning sunlight.

"Yeah, it's me," Jake replied, dropping his luggage at the top of the stairs and wiping the sweat from his brow with the back of his sleeve. Kitsune could hardly believe he was standing there. She reached out to him, and he pulled her into a hug. She was initially surprised at his sudden outward expression, but she then closed her eyes and embraced him, realizing he was really there.

He released her after a few seconds. "How have you been?" He asked her. "You look fantastic."

Kitsune glanced down at her simple work clothes: a ragged white apron over a light blue button-down top and plain brown trousers. "Thanks. When did you get here?" she asked.

"This morning," Jake said, looking a bit puzzled. "You seem surprised to see me."

"I am," Kitsune responded. Jake huffed, shaking his head. "What is it?" Kitsune asked.

Jake rubbed the bridge of his nose between his thumb and index finger. "I tell you, the more things change, the more they remain the same." When he looked up and saw Kitsune's confused look, he said, "Keitaro should have told everyone I was coming. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised he didn't."

"Either way, this sure is a pleasant surprise," Kitsune said, motioning him towards the door. "Did you want to come in? I've got to open up here."

Jake shook his head. "Nah, I've got to get my stuff upstairs, and I don't want to bother you while you're working."

Kitsune protested. "It's no bother really. I want to hear about what you've been up to, anyway. There's free tea in it for you."

Sweetening the deal seemed to do the trick. "Sure, why not?" Jake lifted his bags and followed Kitsune into the immaculate teahouse. "It's been a while, hasn't it?" Jake asked rhetorically, taking the place in with his eyes.

"You can leave your things over there," Kitsune said, motioning with her hands at a corner table. "Have a seat and I'll be right back, okay?"

Jake nodded, dropping his things near the table and seating himself on one of the cushions. He watched Kitsune disappear through a door leading to another area of the building, presumably a kitchen area. After a couple of minutes, she reappeared through the same door, carrying a plain-looking ceramic tea set.

"It sure is slow here in the mornings, isn't it?" Jake asked as Kitsune gingerly placed the set on the table.

Kitsune chuckled and nodded. "I get customers in the morning, usually. To be honest, I thought you were one of my regulars. I'm glad you weren't him." Kitsune poured Jake a cup of tea and pushed it across the table. Jake picked it up and blew away the steam rising from it.

"So," Kitsune said, sitting across from Jake with a huff, pushing the hair out of her face. "You've got my attention. How's life been?"

Jake explained to Kitsune, when she was not distracted by customers slowly trickling into the establishment, how his mother had passed only a few days after he left Japan. It was a trying time, dealing with his own personal problems and simultaneously helping to console his sisters, make arrangements, take care of fiduciary responsibilities, executing his mother's will as power of attorney, graciously accepting food gifts from neighbors, fighting off ambulance chasers and bloodhounds, and finally making peace with the fact that his mother was really gone. He barely had time to think about anything that first month. It finally hit him when the life insurance check cleared and he paid off all of his mother's debts.

"I'm so sorry," Kitsune said, touching Jake's hand.

He smiled weakly in response. "Thanks. The good news is that there is more than enough left out of the insurance money to finance my sister's college educations. She really thought of everything, like she knew her time was coming."

"Well, what about you?" Kitsune asked.

Jake sighed. "I still haven't figured out what I'm going to do. All I know right now is that I made a promise to a friend and I intend to follow through on it. Besides, from what I've heard, Keitaro could really use all the help he can get."

Kitsune laughed. "You've got that right. With finals coming up soon, he just can't keep up with everything. The place is a real mess, so you are going to have your work cut out for you. You sure you don't want to find work elsewhere?"

"Is that an offer?" Jake asked mischievously.

Kitsune waved her hand at Jake dismissively. "I, quite literally, couldn't afford you. Unless, of course, you'd be willing to work as my slave."

"I'll keep that in mind," Jake said, finishing off his tea in one gulp. Taking that as the conclusion of the conversation, Kitsune stood up and Jake soon followed. "Time for me to face the music. If it's true that Keitaro didn't tell anyone I was coming back, they sure are going to be surprised. Will I be able to see you later on tonight?"

Kitsune nodded. "I'll be up when I close here."

"Alright, see you there, then." Jake picked up his belongings and exited the teahouse. On the way down the stairs, he passed a young man, perhaps a few years younger than him, with light brown hair and brown eyes. He was immaculately dressed in a business suit. "Excuse me," Jake said politely, swinging his bag out of the young man's way. Jake glanced back at him. The man reminded him of someone, but he could not place the feeling. With more important matters to address, Jake turned back around, starting up the looming staircase leading to Hinata Sou.

The young man turned back to look at the American start up the stairs to Hinata Sou, squinting at him slightly before turning back to enter the teashop.

Jake ascended the last of the stairs, coming up heaving air in and out of his lungs. He had gotten incredibly out of shape since the last time he traversed that staircase. He looked around the courtyard of Hinata Sou. The place looked like it had not seen a least bit of maintenance since he left. The shrubs along the wall were growing into each other. The trees had branches growing in complete disarray. The stone floor looked like it could use a good sweep and scrub.

Groaning in protest of the massive amount of outdoor work required, and the probable month's worth of work required inside the building, Jake walked towards the front door. Dropping one of his bags, he reached out to pull the door open, stopping short. He retracted his hand, remembering he had not lived there for months and it was likely no one other than Keitaro knew he was there. He rapped on the door several times with his fist.

On the other side of the door, Naru lowered the newspaper from her eyes, taking off her glasses. "Who could that be?" she asked, Keitaro, who was sitting adjacent to her in the love seat. Keitaro shook his head. He had no idea after all.

The couple heard someone running on the floor above them and Su bounded down the stairs, yelling, "I'll get it!" She ran to the door and opened it just enough to poke an eye out of the portal. "Who's there?"

Jake smiled at the foreigner. "I was just looking at your landscaping here and it looks like it could really use some work. I'd like to speak to your landlord, please."

"Jake," Su screamed, and simultaneously tossed the door open and threw herself at him, nearly knocking him to the ground.

"Jake?" Naru asked, peering at the doorway, then at Keitaro.

Keitaro gasped, slapping himself on the forehead. "I forgot. Again!"

"Forgot what?" Naru asked, her eyes turning to slits.

"To tell you that Jake was coming back to manage the place again. I learned about it a few days ago, but I guess after our phone conversation it just slipped my mind."

"You forgot again?" Naru asked him in disbelief.

"That's what I just said!" Keitaro shrieked.

"Naru stood, slapping Keitaro across the head with her folded up newspaper. "You're incorrigible." She turned towards the door, giggling at the sight of Jake, with ruffled hair, squirming around in a vain attempt to unlatch Su from him.

"Let the man breath, Su-chan," Naru said, tugging Su away from the American.

"But I missed him," Su protested, clutching at his neck even harder. Jake was beginning to go blue in the face.

"You'll miss him more if you kill him!" Naru roared, yanking Su forcefully away from Jake.

"Thanks, Naru," Jake managed between gasps, rubbing his neck. "How about one with a little less force?" Jake opened his arms wide and Naru released Su, and they shared a warm, much less painful hug. "It's good to see you," Jake said to the blond, ruffling her disheveled hair with his hand.

"Same here," Su said, turning and dashing back into the inn.

"She hasn't changed a single bit," Jake noted aloud. He turned his attention to Naru. "Hey, you," he said, giving her a short hug.

"Hope you are doing okay," Naru said politely.

"I'm alright," he reassured her. "Is Keitaro here?"

"Yeah, he's inside," Naru said with a tone of venom Jake recalled being not good for whomever it was directed toward.

Jake picked up his things and dropped them inside the door. Keitaro approached him and started to apologize. He raised his hand to stop him. "I heard from Kitsune, already. I can't believe you forgot again!"

"I know. I'm an idiot. I'm sorry."

"It's alright," Jake said with a smile, slapping Keitaro firmly on the back.

"It's good to have you back," Keitaro said, wincing and shrugging his shoulders.

"It's good to be back," Jake responded, gazing around. "Same room, right?" Keitaro nodded. "Alright, then I'm going to drop my stuff off and have a quick gander. If the inside looks like the outside, I'll have a lot of work to do." Excusing himself, Jake hefted his luggage back over his shoulders and walked up the stairs.

"What a relief," Keitaro said, letting out a huge sigh. "I don't think I could have handled much more of this."

"Don't relax yet," Naru told him. "Other than Kitsune, no one else knows he is here."

"I suppose that's true enough," Keitaro said, rubbing his chin. "But what's the worst that could happen?"

Jake let his bags fall to the ground with several thuds. The room looked just like he left it, although it looked like it could use a quick dusting. Taking a deep breath, Jake exhaled, letting his lips rasp. Before walking out, he opened a window and left the door to his room open to let some fresh air in. Dust bunnies littered the hallway floors on each of the floors. The lacquered shine he remembered appeared to be long since gone. There was also more than one Keitaro-shaped hole in the walls, and several of the windows required replacement.

After several hours, a familiar rumbling in his stomach told Jake his physical inventory of the building would need to be put on hold for the time being. He detoured downstairs to the kitchen. Naru and Keitaro were nowhere to be found. Jake surmised they had left for their midday classes. Su had taken off for school soon after he arrived. How she managed to get to school within 5 minutes was a complete mystery to him.

Jake crafted a simple sandwich, poured a glass of milk, and sat at the table to eat. The silence was broken only by the sound of crunching roughage in Jake's mouth, the trees rustling in the breeze and birds chirping. Jake had a hard time deciding whether the stillness in the air was peaceful or disquieting. If his previous experience at Hinata Sou had taught him anything, it was to be wary of times like these.

Jake had consumed half of his sandwich when the door to the foyer swung open without warning. Jake nearly leapt out of his chair, but remained where he was when he saw Motoko step through the portal. Her long locks were tied back in a single ponytail, and she was still wearing her pajamas: an oversized tee and cotton shorts. Jake had never seen the kendo artist with such a casual appearance before, and he could not get over how cute she looked.

Motoko would have noticed Jake right away had she not had her face buried in yet another textbook. She padded across the floor to the kitchen, murmuring to herself. Jake sat in silence, bemused by Motoko being oblivious to anything around her. Whatever she was reading had her absolutely entranced. Jake chuckled lightly when Motoko exited into the kitchen. She came back in a moment later, carrying a can of juice, walked right past the table occupied by Jake again, and left the way she came in.

Feeling no need to interrupt her studies, as well as fearing her reaction if he suddenly announced his presence, Jake remained still and quiet, listening intently. He heard footsteps going up the stairs. Shaking his head, he took another bite out of his sandwich.

When he finished his meal, he heard the front door slide open and Shinobu's muffled voice announcing she was home. Jake listened as the girl ran across the floor on the other side of the wall and up the stairs. He wondered idly how long he could sit there before being noticed.

It was not long. Another moment later, Mutsumi pushed the door to the dining room open, randomly humming a tune. She walked across the room while Jake watched her, sitting still as stone. Suddenly, Mutsumi glanced out of the corner of her eyes in Jake's direction and looked away just as quickly. She took two more steps before stopping. She turned her head, and Jake waved hello at her.

Mutsumi shrieked at the top of her lungs. Her outburst surprised Jake, and he yelped too. Having blown out her air supply, Mutsumi's eyes rolled back into her head and she swooned, landing on the floor with a thud. Gasping, Jake flew out of his seat and was at her side immediately.

The common room door swung open with a heavy crash, and Motoko stepped through the portal with her sword drawn. Noticing movement on the far side of the table, she saw a strange man who was not Keitaro kneeling over Mutsumi's prone body. Shouting a battle cry, she leapt over the table, slicing her blade at the intruder. Her blade sunk into the floor as the intruder rolled away at the last possible second.

Before she could draw her weapon out of the wood floor, Jake belted out, "Stop, Motoko! It's me!" He gently lowered Mutsumi's unconscious body onto a chair and lifted his hands out in front of him.

Motoko's murderous expression softened when she looked the supposed intruder in the face. "Jake?" she asked, pulling her weapon from the floor.

"Yes, I'm Jake," he said, sighing in relief when Motoko sheathed her sword.

Naru barged into the room, with Shinobu and Su peering over her shoulder. "What the hell is going on in here? I thought I heard someone screaming!"

"Mutsumi saw me and freaked out. I think she got a little too excited and passed out," Jake explained. "I was in the middle of helping her up when Motoko ran in and thought I was some cat-burglar."

"I had no idea it was him," Motoko said defensively. "I heard someone scream, ran down here and saw someone looming over Mutsumi-san." Motoko's eyes found the floor. "I just…reacted. Sorry."

"Jake-san is here?" Shinobu exclaimed, pushing her way past Su and Naru.

"Yup! He showed up early this morning, before I left for school," Su clarified.

"And you didn't tell me?" Shinobu asked, incredulous.

"Sorry, I forgot," Su laughed.

"Seems to me forgetfulness is epidemic around here," Jake noted. "But yes, I'm back. If everyone wants to have a seat," he motioned to the chairs around the table, "I'll explain more."

Mutsumi stirred in her chair, lifting her head from the table. "Ara, ara. What a wonderful dream I just had. Jake was here, and I was so happy. Oh, why did I have to wake up?" She rubbed her eyes, and when they refocused, she saw Jake standing right next to her.

"Good morning," Jake greeted the anemic woman.

"Ah, I must still be dreaming then," Mutsumi said melodically, clapping her hands. She stood with uncharacteristic agility and threw her arms around the stunned American. He glanced around at everyone, giving them the universal facial expression signifying a call for help, but they just stared at the situation unfolding before them.

"This feels so real," Mutsumi giggled, snuggling against Jake's chest. "You smell so good, and," her voice trailed off. She pulled away from Jake slowly. "I'm not dreaming, am I?" she asked him.

Jake shook his head. She giggled nervously and bopped herself on the head in her uniquely characteristic fashion. "Well, that was a little embarrassing. Do you suppose I might have said too much?"

"Just a little," Naru said sarcastically, rubbing her forehead.

After getting situated, the group held a meeting over dinner to discuss the future of Hinata Sou. Keitaro informed everyone Jake would be taking over managing the dorm again. This time there were no complaints. In fact, it appeared everyone was more than happy to have Keitaro out of the position, not because he was incompetent, but because his life was currently far too hectic to manage the dormitory on top of everything else going on in his life. After some frank discussion, Jake agreed to front the money for essential repairs and pending remodeling projects, which would be reimbursed through the proceeds from the rent.

"This is still only a temporary thing, everyone," Jake informed them. "I plan on trying out again next year, and this time I don't plan on failing. However, whether I make it or not, I will be leaving this place for good. Besides, Keitaro will be caught up with school by then." Heads nodded around him. "That being said, I really missed you guys. I'm really glad to be back." He smiled weakly at them.

Jake opened up the discussion for questions, and it was near midnight when the questions finally stopped, and the meeting was adjourned. He was left alone in the dining room, jotting some notes onto a piece of scrap-paper when he realized that Kitsune never showed as promised. Although it was certainly out of character for her to not grace Hinata Sou with her presence, he was quite certain she had her reasons. He just had no idea what those reasons were. A huge, languorous yawn escaped past Jake's lips, and he decided against any further internal inquiry.

Setting his pencil behind his ear and folding the paper on the table, Jake kicked himself away from the table and meandered to his room. He threw open the door and turned on the light, illuminating the bare-bones room. "Home, sweet home," he said with a deep sigh, and placed the paper and pencil on the table tucked in the corner. He kicked his sandals towards the door and unrolled the dusty futon in the middle of the room.

He turned to close the curtains, but the view from his window made him take pause. The moon was full, and it's pale light cast a million specks of light across the distant sea. He gazed upon the sight for a while, and he silently wished he had someone to share his view with.

Clicking the light off, Jake slid down onto the short futon, his ankles once again hanging outside the comforter and over the end of the mattress. "I swear, the first thing I am buying is a new bed," he vowed before turning onto his side and pulling his legs closer to his chest.

On the second floor of the Hinata Teahouse, Kitsune stood in front of her bedroom window, staring up at Hinata Sou, which was dimly illuminated by the full moon. The silhouette she had been watching moved away, and the final light on at Hinata Sou finally went out. A smile crept slowly across her face as she fingered the end of her robe.

"Are you coming to bed, or is whatever you are looking at out there more interesting?" A male voice asked from behind her.

Kitsune pulled the drapes closed and joined the man lying in her bed. "You are so impatient. Don't you know good things come to those who wait, Kentaro-kun?" The two locked lips, and their ensuing throes of passion lasted well into the early morning.

* * *

Author's Note: Thanks for reading and reviewing, everyone. The story is about to get into high gear now, if you failed to notice by the tone of this chapter. Look forward to more after the next chapter of Hajime no Keitaro is completed.


	11. Future

Love's Redemption: Chapter 10

Jake lay on his western-style queen size bed, turning through the pages of the magazine he had borrowed the previous day from Keitaro. He rasped his lips, unable to make much sense from the articles, as they were written entirely in Kanji. His focus lie instead on the many advertisements splayed on every other page, no doubt sending shivers down the back of a marketing director somewhere. He rolled his eyes and chuckled at the badly broken Romanized English on many of them, including such gems as "Coke Get Yum!"

Sighing in exasperation, Jake flipped through the remaining pages of the magazine and tossed it unceremoniously onto the simple nightstand that could have passed for an end table next to his bed. Rolling onto his back, he stared blankly at the ceiling. Lying in silence, he pondered over the goings-on since he arrived back at Hinata Sou two weeks ago.

He made good on his promise to order new furniture for his room, which included the bed he lay on, two simple tables to act as nightstands, a chest of drawers, and a small wooden desk with a chair. The room looked like a slice of the West in the heart of Japan. However, he had little time to spend relaxing in the familiarity of the room as he was constantly on the telephone with and supervising over various contractors as they performed much needed repairs on the building. After ten days, Jake was sure Hinata Sou would be able to pass any code inspection.

With the busyness of repairs out of the way, Jake spent the next several days learning the schedules of his tenants. The three Tokyo University students were usually in classes or study groups throughout most of the day, not returning until sunset or later. Shinobu and Su returned from school much sooner than their sempai counterparts. Motoko kept herself scarce, but could usually be found on the roof early in the morning or camped in her room during the afternoons.

What was disquieting to Jake was the fact that he had hardly seen Kitsune since the day he returned. He had been accustomed to her visiting nearly every day after closing down the teashop before his hurried return to America, if only to scrounge a free meal. Now she barely showed her face at all, especially around him. He considered dropping into the teashop several times, but he decided against interrupting her during work.

After all of this, Jake was left with more free time than he knew what to do with after performing his daily chores, which took him two hours on the average. Today was no different. Sighing in disgust with his current situation, and rather tired of listening to the birds chirping incessantly outside of his window, he decided to go for a run before any of the other tenants returned.

Jake stripped out of his "work" clothes, a raggedy old pair of blue jeans and an age-old t-shirt from high school. He tossed them into the hamper parked in the corner of the room like a basketball player taking the last shot of the game. He pulled the ratty socks from his feet, wadded them into a tight ball, and sent them towards the basket with a fade-away jump shot. The socks bounced on the rim of the hamper, one sock landing inside of it, the other on the floor. He scoffed irreverently at the rogue sock before picking it up and putting it in its place.

Ten minutes later, Jake, clad in simple grey sweats, was outside of the building, closing the door behind him and locking the front door with a simple turn of his key. He had new locks installed on the outer perimeter doors to enhance the security of the all-girls dorm. Although he knew Motoko was still home, Jake felt better erring on the side of caution. Besides, all of the tenants had a key, and could enter and exit at will, so there was no harm in bolting the door when he left.

After taking a few moments to limber up his legs, Jake dashed down the stairs and into the dense, rolling fog that clung to the town like a wet sheet. Jake enjoyed a quiet jog through the town, the hustle and bustle of the day long since past. A few familiar faces greeted him as he carved through his well-beaten path, and he grinned and gestured to them in reply.

His mind wandering, Jake became suddenly and acutely aware of exactly how easily he was acclimating to his new lifestyle. Although there were times when he missed the comfort of home and sleeping in his own bed, the friendly faces of the people he had met in this relatively obscure portion of the world left him with little regret. He could not decide if the pros of living in a town one-tenth of the size he was accustomed to outweighed the cons, but he had promises to keep, and he was not the kind to back out on his word.

Turning a familiar corner leading to the homestretch of his run brought Jake's mind back into the here-and-now. He was rapidly approaching the Hinata Teahouse. As he bounded closer with each step, he was locked in a mental struggle to decide if he would drop in to say hello to Kitsune.

He never got the opportunity to make up his mind. The veil of fog lifted as he approached the steps leading to the shop, and the form of Kitsune manifested through the miasma. She was speaking with a man Jake recognized from somewhere, but he was unable to place his face in his memory. Nor could he make out what they were saying, as their tones were hushed.

Jake hurried past, not wanting to disturb Kitsune as she was talking to the man he had assumed was just a regular customer. Turning to look at her one last time, he saw her lean forward and kiss the man directly on the lips. A masterfully fired arrow of shock ran Jake through the chest, and he took off up the stairs leading to the inn as a fight-or-flight instinct overran his senses.

His feet did not stop until he was standing in front of the front door of the apartments, his mind racing to put the pieces of what he had just seen together. He paced back and forth along the front of the complex for an inordinate amount of time, but in the end, he simply could not recall. Breathing a huff of frustration, Jake meandered to the front door, unlocked it, and stepped inside the building. Kicking his shoes off of his feet, he checked the time on his wristwatch. He smiled when he realized he still had at least two hours before anyone would arrive home. A long soak in the hot spring would be more than sufficient to calm his nerves as well as his aching muscles.

Covered in naught but his skin, Jake slowly dipped into the pool, wincing at the initial burning sensation from his cold toes submerging in the hot drink. He stepped further into the pool methodically, letting the heat slowly work its way up from his ankles to his neck, and he let out an audible sigh of relief, feeling much better immediately. The water was particularly warm that day, and a dense cloud of steam brought his visibility to near zero. With his hands out in front of him, Jake felt around the edge of the pool for a suitable spot to sit down, finally parking in a crevice near the far end.

As he sunk into his chosen corner of the hot spring, Jake lifted his arms out of the pool, resting them on the edges on either side of him. He let his head fall back comfortably against the stone as he stared at the passing clouds overhead, listless. While his body relaxed, his brain was performing Olympic-grade tumbling passes in his head.

With practiced movements, Kitsune hastily brushed away the debris from the front of her shop. She was late in her preparations to open for business, no thanks to the antics of her latest boyfriend earlier that morning. Her face colored as she recalled those events despite her best efforts to the contrary. It was worth it in the end, she thought, chuckling at her own pun.

Kentaro Sakata…he was probably the last person Kitsune envisioned hooking up with, considering how he coolly attempted to play with her best friend's heart. And then tried to take advantage of Naru's latent talent for singing to make a quick buck.

But karma was a cruel mistress to him. After Naru's mini-scandal involving a paparazzi photo of her patented Naru Punch TM sending Keitaro into satellite orbit, Kentaro was stuck holding the bill when Naru called her abbreviated stint in show business quits. He was flat broke, still owing Haruka a fortune after she agreed to front the money for the repairs of the damage caused by his little stunt the day of Naru's graduation ceremony.

Becoming Haruka's busboy in the Hinata teahouse, earning a mere 150 yen per hour, Kentaro might have earned the pity of the tenants of Hinata Sou had the circumstances surrounding his enslavement been different. After all, he did perform his duties without complaint, and that was a trait shared by another man she admired. However, whether that was an actual virtue of Kentaro's or compliance due to fear of unleashing Haruka's wrath was another question altogether.

When all was said and done, Kentaro had it coming to him. But he did perform admirably, and his debt was repaid sooner than anyone expected. Whether it was an influx of money from Kentaro's affluent parents or Haruka being merciful towards the unfortunate lad was a mystery. Either way, he was freed from his bonds and, for his part, he did what he could to give up his affection for Naru and assist in bringing her and Keitaro together.

Perhaps that was what initially drew Kitsune towards him. To hear Naru tell the story about what he did to help her on that Christmas Eve two years ago, any woman's heart would melt to sludge. It certainly altered her perception of him. The man she once assumed had a one-track mind turned out to be a compassionate romantic, something she never expected.

So when the two happened across one another during Kitsune's weekly trek to the Hinata Onsen shopping district the week after Jake's abrupt departure back to the States, she obliged him when he asked her to lunch. The sincere, hopeful look on his face when he asked her out was a far cry from his usual overtly aloof demeanor.

Although they had been on a mere handful of dates since then, Kentaro had proven himself to be a complete gentleman, happily paying for her portion of meals and such, despite their previous agreement that on every other date they would go Dutch. Even though they had only recently become intimate, Kitsune was under no obligation when he paid her way. Kentaro was a breath of fresh air for her.

Thinking back upon their relationship, Kitsune would have normally shut him down without a second thought when he first asked her out. However, and for a reason that was at first inexplicable to her, she was feeling exceptionally lonely for the last few days prior to their meeting. She mentally kicked herself immediately after taking him up on his offer, but she knew well that in the professional sport of dating, there is no such thing as a mulligan.

Little did she know that the source of her loneliness would return to her life in such a short amount of time.

"What are you smiling about?" asked a familiar voice, giving Kitsune quite the start. She turned her gaze to the man standing before her, wearing a million-dollar smile as well as a rather stylish business suit.

"Kentaro-kun!" Kitsune exclaimed, breathing a sigh of relief. "You scared the bejeezus out of me." She gave him a light rap with the handle of her broom to emphasize her point.

"Sorry about that, but it's not my fault you were in La-La Land and couldn't hear me walking towards you." Kentaro walked up two more steps so that he was even with Kitsune height-wise and gave her a peck on the lips. "Good morning," he said sultrily.

"Good morning," Kitsune returned his greeting, turning her head away from him, feeling slightly embarrassed.

"You were thinking about last night, weren't you?" Kentaro asked playfully, earning him a stiff jab in his gut with the butt of Kitsune's broom.

"A lady never harbors such thoughts so early in the day," Kitsune replied, tossing her hair with her free hand.

"Well, to be fair, you certainly weren't very, ahem, lady-like in bed," Sakata said, a honeyed grin playing across his countenance.

"Keep going and you're gonna end up with half of this broom up you-know-where," Kitsune barked, gesturing threateningly with the aforementioned tool.

Kentaro backed off, trying and failing to suppress a laugh. "So sorry. Anyway," he quickly changed the subject, "I just wanted to drop a line before I left for class since you departed a bit abruptly this morning."

"You could have called, you know," Kitsune replied, reaching into her apron and pulling out a cell phone. She flipped it open, checking to make sure it was on and had a decent charge.

With a chuckle and a shrug, Kentaro reached out and pulled Kitsune towards him. "I'm not quite so impersonal." He placed a hand on the back of her neck, pulling her into a long, passionate kiss. After a few moments, he released her. "I'll see you later."

Kitsune watched her boyfriend start to walk away, until her mind recalled something important that she needed to tell him. "Hold on a second." Kentaro stopped and turned to face her, wearing an enigmatic smile. "They are having a little get-together tonight up at the inn, so I'm going to be there."

"Is that right?" Kentaro asked lightly. There was no need to explain who "they" were. Whenever Kitsune used that term, it was specially reserved for the tenants at Hinata Sou.

"It's kind of a welcome-back-surprise party, so," Kitsune let her voice trail off.

A hint of realization flashed across Kentaro's face, but only an astute observer might have noticed. "I see," he said.

"You're more than welcome to come, if you'd like."

"I'll have to double-check my schedule, but I think I'll be able to make it," Kentaro said with a wink.

Kitsune smiled weakly. "Great. I'll see you later tonight then?"

"Yup," Kentaro said, waving goodbye. Kitsune waved back and watched Kentaro walk down the stone stairs until he was out of sight. She let out a hefty sigh before returning to her work.

Feeling reinvigorated after his dip in the hot spring, a fully clothed Jake set out to perform his daily chores. He stretched out as he checked his calendar against his managerial notebook, jotting down notes on what duties he needed to perform.

He grumbled out fruitless protestations when he discovered that it was time to mop and polish the floors throughout the building. The last time he performed this particular task, it took the vast majority of the day to complete. With so many other things accompanying this duty in his to-do list, he knew there was no time to dawdle. He made for the tool shed on the side of the building immediately.

An hour later, Jake began to wonder if there was some sort of elixir of life bubbling out of the earth into the hot spring downstairs. He seemed to have boundless energy after his dip. Having already completed the third floor, and halfway through the second, Jake took a quick breather when he heard the front door slide open and closed. Judging by the fact that the person failed to announce her entry, Jake surmised that Motoko had returned.

His assumption was confirmed when he saw a head of perfectly straight raven-hued hair appear in the stairwell, its owner silently padding up the stairs. Motoko, clad in jeans and a hooded sweatshirt, a surprisingly fitting ensemble in Jake's mind, had a bulging backpack slung over one shoulder, and her black-as-night sheathed blade resting on the other. Why her cram school would ever let someone carrying such a lethal weapon onto its grounds was a completely mystery to Jake. He assumed she hid the blade somewhere, but where?

"Good day to you," Jake greeted the Shinmeiryu heir politely from across the hall.

Motoko was slightly taken aback, but recovered just as quickly. "Oh…I'm home," she replied with the customary phrase. She met Jake's gaze for a fraction of a second before panning her eyes down to the floor in front of her as she continued her climb to the third floor without stopping.

Jake followed her movement until she was completely out of sight, unable to shake the thought that she appeared to be monumentally distracted, something of which he thought she was incapable. He was well aware, as was everyone else in the household, that her second attempt at the Tokyo University entrance examination was just around the corner, and that test was by far the most difficult to pass. Only the inhuman could not feel at least some pressure, if not feel completely overwhelmed.

He could not be sure whether he had overestimated or underestimated her. On one hand, she was the most stoic person he had ever met. It seemed that nothing could faze her, except for that flying turtle, of course, but that was explained away as being a simple phobia. However, seeing her humanity was a thankful breath of fresh air, even if the glimpses were few and far between. He wished to see more of that part of her, as it made her at least somewhat approachable.

As Jake motioned towards his cleaning implements, he suddenly remembered that the third floor was not quite ready for traffic as of yet. Without thinking, he yelled out, "Motoko, be careful that you don't slip!" (A/N: "to slip" in Japanese can be translated as "to fail", as in failing a test)

An incredibly girlish cry tore through the third floor, down the stairs, running full bore into Jake's ears, followed immediately by a loud thump and the ringing sound of metal rattling against wood. Motoko must have slipped and fell on the freshly polished floor. Jake winced, ducking his head slightly in empathy. "Sorry about that! Are you okay?" he yelled.

Jake could practically hear the blush on Motoko's face as she angrily replied, her voice muffled by the distance, "I'm just fine! Don't worry about me!"

"Okay then," he said, kneeling down. As he reached for the wood polish, he froze, a light bulb going off in his head. "Oh shit," he mumbled to himself. "I meant the floor is slippery! I'm sorry, I didn't mean…"

"Don't worry about it," he heard Motoko's voice, still angry, but lower by a half-octave. A door upstairs slid open and shut, and Jake could do nothing except shake his head and sigh at his own ignorance.

Twenty minutes later, as Jake set about completing the second floor, he heard the front door fly open loudly. "I'm home!" he heard the voice of Su belt out, surely heard even by Motoko in room 302. She bounded across the room and ran up the stairs two and three at a time. "Hi there!" she greeted Jake with a wave and a toothy grin.

Jake was flustered by how much energy that girl had even after sitting in a classroom for hours on end. "How was school?" Jake asked.

"Pretty boring actually. No one in my class was willing to do anything fun with me today. Everyone is freaking out about their entrance exams," Su explained, leaning against the stair rail.

"That's too bad," Jake said. Su was a senior, and she would be graduating in a few short months. That reminded him. "Don't you have your exams coming up too?"

"I sure do!" Su exclaimed a bit too loudly given the proximity between the conversers.

"Aren't you at least a little sympathetic towards your classmates then? Aren't you stressed about your tests too?"

Su shook her head emphatically. "Motoko and I are studying together, so there's no way we'll fail. I'm really confident!"

Jake smiled weakly. This girl was a certifiable genius, likely at least on par with Naru. But what worried him was that she was as likely to pass the test straight up as invent a device that would somehow give her all the answers. He silently hoped she thought twice about such a thing, as she would likely have no shame if she were caught cheating, causing her to be banned from taking the exams permanently.

"Isn't it a bit strange studying with your sempai for the same test?" Jake asked.

"Not really. It's a lot of fun studying together. We get to do what Keitaro did together with Naru and Mutsumi!"

Jake chuckled. There was some merit in that explanation, he supposed. "Motoko seems to be pretty stressed out, though." Su nodded plaintively. "Can you do me a favor?"

Su beamed at Jake, her jade eyes shining brightly at him. She nodded.

"Take it easy with her, okay? She's pretty fragile right now, and a lot of excitement is probably the last thing she needs right now." As soon as the words left his mouth, Jake stole a glance up the empty stairwell. If Motoko heard him call her fragile, even in context, she would have his head. Thankfully, no berserk swordswoman jumped down the flight of stairs brandishing steel and roaring a battle cry.

"You got it!" Su agreed, turned on the spot, and jumped over the railing, sending the skirt of her high school uniform flying, and ran full bore up the stairs to the third floor. Jake averted his eyes when he caught a glimpse of white against blue. That girl had absolutely no shame. "Perv!" he heard Su shout playfully, followed by the sound of her door sliding open and slamming closed. Jake put his forehead to his palm and shook his head. No shame at all.

Just as Jake finished the last of his chores for the day, the three Toudai-seis formerly known as the Three Ronins returned home. Shinobu walked in about an hour after Su, having had one more class period than her sempai. It was another ninety minutes later that Jake finally closed up and locked the utility closet parked next to the hot spring. As he walked back into the complex, he noticed his boss and the two women flanking him as they were changing into indoor footwear. "Hey guys," he greeted them as he plopped down on the sofa facing the door for some much-needed rest for his aching feet. "You're home pretty early today."

"Oh, yeah, I guess we are," Keitaro replied, laughing. Jake couldn't help but think there was something suspicious about Keitaro's laugh, and another red flag went up in his head when Naru prodded him in the shoulder blades and the two shared in some non-verbal conversation.

Meanwhile, Mutsumi floated over to where Jake was sitting and took a seat next to him. Directly next to him. Any closer and she might as well have been in his lap. Although there was plenty of space for her to sit next to him without invading his personal space, he adjusted to put some distance between them to avoid an it's-not-what-it-looks-like moment. Mutsumi seemed blissfully oblivious, however.

"What are you doing tonight, Ja-kun?" the beautiful maiden asked, placing one of her delicate hands on Jake's leg.

"Mutsumi-san!" Naru exclaimed, glaring at her friend as she walked over to take a seat on the adjacent love seat.

"What did I say?" Mutsumi asked, looking like a puppy-dog that was just admonished for piddling on the floor. She retracted her hand from its position on Jake's thigh.

As Naru and Mutsumi engaged in another round of non-verbal communication, Jake looked at Keitaro with a look that suggested he tell him exactly what was going on. Instead of answer, Keitaro simply looked away.

"Am I…missing something here?" Jake asked. These people were probably the worst at keeping secrets he had ever had the pleasure to come across. They were obviously plotting something, and he figured he would try to get them to come clean up front.

The three people sitting around Jake replied "no" at the same time, in surround sound stereo. He openly smirked, knowing that short of all-out blackmail, there was likely no way for him to tip their hands. He had no choice but to retreat and to engage them on another front some other time. "So how were your classes today?"

Keitaro shrugged. "Pretty boring now that our finals are finished. I don't even know why we bother going anymore until the start of next semester."

Naru gave a playful tug on Keitaro's shirt. "Because you can't afford to miss anymore of your classes without getting an incomplete, dummy. You don't want to fall behind another semester do you?"

Keitaro sighed. "That doesn't mean I have to like it. I'd rather be doing something more productive. At least we'll get to do some fieldwork next year. Reading books on archaeology is not nearly as exciting as actually doing it."

"Kei-kun, you really do have a one-track mind, don't you?" Mutsumi asked playfully.

"Don't hate me because I like my major," Keitaro grumbled.

"Correct me if I'm wrong here," Jake interjected, "but no one faults you for it. You're like Indiana Jones' klutzy nephew trying to follow in his uncle's footsteps."

As the girls giggled away, Keitaro, feeling ganged up on, exclaimed, "Leave me alone!"

"We kid you. You're doing what you want to do. Just be sure you give us a call when you find Jesus' tomb, alright?"

Keitaro laughed. "Whatever you say, I guess."

The foursome continued to chitchat about random nonsense for the next twenty minutes before Shinobu walked down the stairs, dressed in casual outdoor clothing. Keitaro picked up on the teenager's appearance immediately. "Heading out, Shinobu-chan?" he asked.

Shinobu nodded. "Yes, I'm going to the market for some groceries. I wanted to be back before it gets dark."

"Would you like some company?" Naru asked.

Shinobu looked like she was pondering the question. "I suppose I could use an extra pair of hands to help carry everything back, but if its too much trouble…"

Naru waved a hand at Shinobu. "Don't be silly, Shinobu-chan. Jake is more than willing to go with you, am I right?" Naru cocked her head in Jake's direction.

It wasn't a question. He was being volunteered. Call it one of his duties as manager. The tenants sure had high expectations of their landlord. "I suppose I wasn't doing anything anyway. I'll go with you. Just let me get my jacket, and I'll be right back down."

Shinobu beamed. "Great!"

Jake stood and Shinobu took his seat. As he climbed the stairs to the second floor, he turned his head to look at the four seated around the common room. They were all watching him silently. It was too suspicious. They obviously planned this whole thing, and they needed him out of the house for an hour or two. Whatever it was, he decided to play the part of the unwitting victim in this suspense play. What else could he do?

"Think he bought it?"

"Not a chance in hell."

"Oh well, at least we're getting him to leave for a bit. The end is the same, anyway."

"If he suspects us, he'll probably try to pry it out of you, Shinobu-chan. You need to be strong."

"Uh…okay. I'll try."

Returning to a standing position in the corner of the stairwell, just out of sight of the tandem in the great room, a mischievous grin crept from corner to corner on Jake's face. This could turn out to be a remarkable evening for him after all.

Shinobu and Jake sat on the train, silence enveloping them. Jake stole an occasional glance at the young woman next to him. She was obviously nervous, but as far as he could remember, that was par for the course. Despite her past confession to Keitaro and accepting the offer from one of her classmates to start dating, she still had not changed much.

Self-confidence can only come with time, when that person is ready. Not every female could hold herself to a high accord like Kitsune. However, being demure certainly had its merits in terms of capturing the attention of a potential mate, but was that Shinobu's intention? It is said, after all, that it's the shy ones you have to watch out for. No way, Jake thought. This girl was far too pure to play that kind of mind games with men.

On the other hand, was she really that innocent? She had turned seventeen this past November, and was entering her senior year in high school. From everything he heard about Japanese public schools, the environment was not dissimilar from when he attended high school. Was there any possible way this girl somehow remained immune to sexual desires?

It was equally possible she seemed nervous because she was afraid of spoiling their little secret. Jake let out a tremendous sigh. He was probably thinking much too deeply about the subject. Thinking that the silence was likely not helping matters much, Jake decided to engage her in some small talk. "So you're going to be a senior pretty soon, huh?"

"Huh, oh, yeah," Shinobu replied, looking surprised for a second at the sound of Jake's voice, then reverting to her typical timidity.

"You looking forward to it?"

After a lengthy pause, "I'm not sure," she replied with a barely noticeable shake of her head. "I'm going to miss seeing Kaolla-san during the daytime. But I've made a bunch of new friends this year, and I'll get to see all of them next year, too, so it's kind of bittersweet for me."

"I understand," Jake said, turning to look out of the window at the passing landscape. "It's going to be a special time for you; a year you'll never forget as long as you live. Try to make it memorable, okay?"

Shinobu cocked her head up and looked at Jake. He seemed to be gazing at something unseen on the horizon, as if he were reminiscing about something. He was likely thinking about his own time in high school. She toyed with the idea of asking him what he was thinking about, but the train braking to a stop wrenched that idea from her grasp. Instead, she replied minimally, "I will."

The pair left the station in silence and walked two blocks to the nearby market. As Shinobu pulled a small grocery cart from the well on the side of the entrance, she said, "If you need anything specific, just let me know."

Jake nodded his head, but he did not know the first thing about Japanese cuisine other than the shoddy dishes Seta and Keitaro concocted for him on special occasions. While they were palatable, they were trash compared to Shinobu's excellent recipes. He decided that he would remain silent and trust her instincts.

They walked through the store methodically, walking slowly down each aisle as Shinobu consulted a carefully folded list that she pulled from her purse. Not knowing yakisoba from teriyaki, Jake was utterly useless as a hood ornament. He walked several paces behind Shinobu with his hands in his pockets, glancing at random items here and there whenever Shinobu stopped to look for a particular item.

"Did you find something you wanted?" she asked him on one particular occasion.

Jake looked at young woman, then at the box in his hand. "I don't even know what this is," he admitted, replacing the item back on the shelf.

Shinobu giggled, looking relieved. "That's good, because I don't even know how to prepare that stuff." Jake kept his hands off the merchandise for the remainder of the trip.

Having crossed out the final item on the list and double-checking to make sure she had not forgotten anything, Shinobu rolled the cart to the front of the store and pulled up to a checkout register. "Let me do that," Jake offered, shooing Shinobu away when she began to pull items out of the cart and place them on the counter.

"I can get it," Shinobu protested.

"No, please," Jake rebutted, "I haven't done anything. I can at least do this for you."

"Thanks."

"Good evening, Maehara-san," the cashier, a woman that Jake estimated was in her early forties, greeted the young woman.

"Hello, Watanabe-san," Shinobu cheerfully replied. It was obvious to Jake as the two women exchanged pleasantries that they were more than simply acquaintances. He remembered vaguely Shinobu's family owning a restaurant at one time, so it made perfect sense. She was likely the errand-girl whenever supplies ran low.

"And who is this lad, here?" Watanabe asked, giving Jake a once over after he finished placing the merchandise on the counter.

"This is the new manager at my apartment while Urashima-sempai is in school," Shinobu replied.

"My name's Jake." He bowed politely to the woman on the other side of the counter after introducing himself.

"Oho," Watanabe replied with a smile. "An American male managing an all-girls dormitory in Japan. There's something you don't see everyday."

"Well," Jake began his response, but decided against going completely into the story, "I suppose you're right."

"You make sure you look after Maehara-san. She's one of our most valued customers," the woman said with a wink.

Jake blinked several times, perplexed. He couldn't help but think she meant something other than a simple landlord-tenant relationship when she said to take care of her. Nevertheless, he replied, "Of course."

Swiping the last item over the scanner, Watanabe clicked a couple of buttons on her register. "Alright, that comes to sixty-four hundred eighty-two."

Shinobu paid the bill from a more than modest roll of bills stuffed into the bottom of her bag. As the cashier counted out change from her register, Jake suddenly felt glad that he decided to come along. An innocent-looking woman like Shinobu out in public alone with that much cash made a tempting target for a would-be mugger.

"You two take care now," Watanabe said, giving the pair a friendly wave as they picked up their bags and left the store.

The sun was setting when they stepped outside of the store, casting the sky with hues of violet and orange. The crunching of the plastic bags and their own footfalls were the only sounds around them for a while as they made their way back to the train station, groceries in tow.

"She seems nice," Jake noted.

"She's been a family friend for years," Shinobu replied.

That she decided not to elaborate further was something not lost on Jake. It served as a reminder that her parents had gone through a particularly nasty divorce, resulting in the sale of their restaurant and Shinobu's permanent residency at Hinata Sou. It was an event not dissimilar from one that he experienced, although she was much younger than he when his parents decided to split.

He stole a glance at the woman next to him, her depressed, downcast appearance welling within him a deep sense of empathy. No matter the amount of time that has passed, some scars still hurt when touched. "It must have been rough on you," Jake said.

"I'm sorry, what?" Shinobu replied.

Jake shook his head, thinking it best not to dwell on such negative thoughts for too long. "No, it's nothing. Let's get back. I'm sure everyone's waiting for us."

With a weak smile, Shinobu agreed. "Okay."

An abbreviated train ride later, the duo approached the long stairway leading to the apartment building. Jake offered to carry Shinobu's bags to make her trek easier, but she politely refused. As they reached the crest of the slope, Jake noticed that the lights in the building were all off, making it appear as if the place was deserted.

"I wonder where everyone went off to," Shinobu said.

Jake chuckled. "But you already know, don't you?"

"Eh?" Shinobu started, looking a might fearful.

"Keitaro's behind the sofa with Naru and Mutsumi right next to him. Motoko is waiting in the dining room with Su, while Kitsune waits to turn the lights on to scare the dickens out of me, right?"

Shinobu gawked. "I don't know what you mean."

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me. You guys tried this once before, don't you remember?"

Shinobu appeared puzzled. "I don't recall."

"This must have been Keitaro's idea. Only a git like him would fall for something like this twice." To make his point, Jake approached the door, unlocking it with his master key. "Watch this." He whispered to Shinobu and threw the door wide open. He ran directly to the light switch and flipped it to the on position.

His eyes quickly adjusted to the flood of light, and much to his surprise, the room was truly and honestly devoid of any sort of party decoration, and there was not a single soul in the room, except for Shinobu, standing in the doorway, looking utterly mystified. "Did I miss something?" she asked.

"Huh," Jake said, relaxing his posture. He expected to catch the poor suckers trying to set him up off guard, but the only one looking like a sucker was him. "Well, whatever then," he said, dropping the bags he was carrying on the table. Walking back to the entrance, he peered at the base of the door, and sure enough, everyone's outdoor shoes were missing. He kicked his shoes off and put on his slippers. "Sorry if I freaked you out," he said to Shinobu, feeling a touch guilty for setting off such as he did.

"A little. I really had no idea what you were talking about," the woman replied as she walked towards the kitchen area, stopping to pick up the bags Jake left on the table.

As Jake watched the blue-haired beauty disappear beyond the portal to the kitchen, he muttered, "That's just too weird." With a shrug and a sigh, he retreated upstairs to his room, remarking just how strange the day had been.

After making himself more comfortable, Jake lay on his bed flipping through a few channels to pass the time. After a few minutes, he heard a loud crash that sounded like a dish breaking in the kitchen. Acting almost on instinct, he bounced to his feet and dashed out of his room towards the stairs. Taking them two at a time, he called out, "Are you okay, Shinobu?"

"Wait, when did the foyer get dark again?" Jake asked as he continued down the stairs into the darkened great room. In a matter of an instant, light flooded the room, which was now filled with refreshments, balloons and banners and all sorts of party favors, not to mention the large group of people yelling "Surprise!" in unison.

The sudden shock caused Jake to miss a step and he completed his trip down the stairs on his behind. The crowd gasped collectively, and by the time Jake regained his bearings, he was surrounded on all sides by familiar faces.

"You alright, man?" Keitaro asked with a pained expression on his face.

Jake continued to lay prone, trying to laugh through the pain. "If I could stand right now, I'd kill you."

"Sorry about that," Shinobu said, unable to hide the mischievous grin on her face.

"I owe you one," Jake said, pointing at Shinobu. "And the best part is you'll never know when it'll happen."

"We got you pretty good, didn't we?" Su asked, giggling madly.

"I don't even want to know how you did it, but yeah."

"Let's get you up," Naru said, offering Jake a hand.

The group helped the temporary manager to his feet, and he seemed no worse for wear once he stood up. "Are you alright?" Motoko asked Jake.

Jake nodded. "I'll tell you this though: this has been the strangest day." He looked around for the one other person he had hoped to be there, and he found her standing on the opposing side of the room, with the arm of the man he'd noticed earlier that morning draped around her waist. "And it's only going to get stranger."

* * *

Author's Note: Sorry it's been so long since I've published anything. The way things are lately with work, and personal life, etc. etc. leaves very little time for things like this. However, I've also made a bunch of excuses for myself on why I haven't done anything, and that ends now. So, thanks for reading and reviewing, and you'll be seeing more from me in the future (again).


	12. Confessions

Disclaimer on Chapter 1

Love's Redemption: Chapter 11

"First things first," Jake said, displaying a devious grin. He reached out with blinding speed and clutched at Shinobu's arm, eliciting a yelp from the teenager. He trapped her in a headlock and rumpled her hair. "That's punishment for tricking me," he said as he released the girl, who was stricken with a fit of giggles.

"Shinobu-chan should be an actress," Keitaro said. "I could never get you to believe anything, Jake."

"That's only because you couldn't lie to save your life. You're terrible at it," Jake replied.

The man accompanying Kitsune broke through the group, which had formed into a small circle. Jake noticed the man was wearing a rather expensive-looking suit, and his hair was well groomed. He looked entirely out of place for such a casual get-together. "Excuse me," he said rather eloquently. "I don't believe we've had the honor," he said as he reached out with his hand, looking at Jake with a piercing stare.

Tension filled the air for a moment as Jake paused briefly before answering. "Oh, yeah, hello there," Jake said, taking the man's hand and giving it a firm shake. The man reciprocated with one equally as firm. "The name's Jake Robertson."

"Kentaro Sakata," the man replied glibly. "It's a pleasure to finally meet the man I've heard so much about."

Jake smiled. "Well, it can't all be true. You can't believe everything you hear from these crazy people."

"We're not that bad, Jake," Naru interjected with a twinge of annoyance.

"Quite the contrary," Kentaro smoothly said, "Kitsune has told me nothing but good things about you."

Jake stole a glance at Kitsune, who was engaged in some light-hearted conversation with Su, who seemed to be attempting to cajole the woman into something. "So you're her…?"

"Ah, yes. I'm courting the young lady at present," Kentaro said off-handedly, but Jake could tell intuitively that he seemed quite proud of that fact. "Speaking of which, if you'll excuse me," Kentaro added, bowing ever-so-slightly before returning to Kitsune's side.

Jake stared at Kentaro's back as he walked slowly to Kitsune's side and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. She smiled up at him and the pair kissed. Jake was vaguely aware of his right hand balling into a fist.

"Hey Jake, you mind helping me in the kitchen for a minute?" Keitaro asked, noticing what was going on.

Jake snapped back to reality immediately. "Yeah, sure," he stated, slipping past Motoko's shoulder and through the door to the kitchen. Jake took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, trying to calm himself. What was it about that guy that got him so worked up, he wondered.

Keitaro slipped into the room behind him. "I just need a hand with all these drinks," Keitaro said, noting the massive amount of beverages on the dining room table lacking homes in a mountain of empty paper cups.

"Was this much really necessary for so few people?" Jake asked, suddenly feeling quite tired after looking at the oversized stock of liquid refreshments.

"I don't really know," Keitaro admitted with a shrug of his shoulders. "Kitsune insisted on this much. She said," Keitaro paused and gave his best impression of Kitsune's voice as he could muster, "a dry party is no party at all."

Jake chuckled. "I guess she would. You open, I'll pour?"

Keitaro nodded, and the duo dove into the work of moving the beverages into cups for the guests.

Jake and Keitaro worked silently for a few fleeting minutes before Jake's curiosity got the better of him. "So what's the deal with that Kentaro guy, anyway?" he asked.

Keitaro smirked. "I was wondering how long it would take for you to ask that. He's not a bad guy, if that's what you're asking. He's a student just like the rest of us here."

"What's with his 'tude?" Jake asked, taking a moment's pause to adjust a few cups that were perched precariously on the edge of the table.

"Oh, that's just the way he is," Keitaro said with a shrug. "To be honest, though, it is kind of weird, now that I think about it."

"What's weird?"

"Well, he was chasing after Narusegawa for the longest time until he inexplicably gave up on her," Keitaro said thoughtfully.

"And this was while you were already in the picture?" Jake asked. Keitaro nodded in the affirmative. "Are you sure that's not because you were chasing after her and he decided not to get involved in a competition over some girl?"

"I don't think it's quite that simple," Keitaro said. "He had a game plan on how he was going to capture her heart and everything. It was something he obviously planned out, but it didn't really work the way he thought it would."

"So what you're saying is you think he turned his attention to Kitsune," Jake surmised.

"Yeah, but it doesn't really make too much sense. It's been a couple of years since that whole mess happened with Narusegawa. Why did they suddenly hook up out of the blue like that?"

Jake shook his head and shrugged. "You would know the answer to that question better than I would."

"You could always get it straight from the horse's mouth," Keitaro said, glancing sideways at his American friend.

Jake snorted. "That's coming on a bit strong, don't you think?"

Keitaro turned the cap on another unopened bottle of soda, and it gave up its extraneous gas with a satisfying hiss. "If the situation were reversed, that's what you'd tell me to do, am I right?"

Jake laughed. "I'm not quite as forthcoming as you think I am. Besides, she seems happy. I don't want to meddle in things that aren't any of my business."

Keitaro frowned. Jake was obviously in denial, and he saw through his façade clearly. Obviously, it was going to take more than a few pokes and prods to help his friend find his true feelings.

Rather suddenly, Naru entered from the party area. "Alright boys, the party is out there, not in here. What's the hold-up?"

"Sorry about that," Jake apologized. "We were just taking care of a few things here."

Naru ogled the mountain of cola and other assorted beverages. "I think that's quite enough drinks for now, so why don't you just come out and mingle? This is your party after all."

"Sure," Jake said, excusing himself. "You coming?" he asked Keitaro.

"I'm right behind you," Keitaro said, staying put.

After Jake left the kitchen to raucous applause from the other partygoers, Naru asked her boyfriend, "So how did he take it, you think?"

Keitaro scratched the back of his head and shrugged. "It's hard to tell. He's a difficult one to read."

Naru exhaled mightily. "What is that girl thinking, anyway?"

"Beats me," Keitaro replied. "Should we go out there before people start wondering what happened to us?"

Naru turned red in the face. "What's that supposed to mean? You think people will think that you and I…?"

Keitaro held his hands out in front of him and shook his head. "That's not what I meant at all!"

"What did you mean, then?" Naru asked, placing her hands on her hips and glaring at Keitaro threateningly.

"Well, that is, you know," Keitaro stammered unable to find his words. Naru put the thought in his mind, and now he could not escape it.

Naru turned on her heels. "I knew it, you are a pervert after all," she huffed, storming out of the room.

"Damn it, Keitaro," Keitaro angrily grumbled, slapping his own forehead. He really needed to get his wayward thoughts under control if he was ever going to take the next step with Naru.

* * *

The party went off with only a relatively small number of hitches, one being the lover's quarrel between Keitaro and Naru. It took a few minutes of Kitsune consoling Naru in private to get her to calm down, and when the pair returned from Naru's room, Naru went immediately to Keitaro and apologized, giving him a hug and a kiss, drawing plenty of hoots and hollers from the party's other guests, much to her chagrin.

Jake was jovial around everyone except Kitsune, around whom he just could not be comfortable. It was impossible to relax while chatting away with her new boyfriend looming over them, so their conversation was shallow and aimless.

Several hours into the party, Kentaro announced rather grandiosely that he would be making his departure from the premises. Much to Jake's chagrin, Kitsune left with him, draining much of the life from the party.

After everyone did their very best to completely destroy their vocal chords with a few rounds of karaoke, the party wound down as each girl retired to her room one at a time, until Jake was left alone, lounging on the sofa. He glanced about the room, taking note of the abundance of trash littering the tables, chairs, and floor. "Tomorrow," he said aloud for no one to hear except himself. He closed his eyes, and within a matter of moments he drifted into slumber.

The sun barely cracked over the horizon when Jake awoke with a stiff neck courtesy of his makeshift bed. Sitting up with a groan, he decided that as much as he wanted to crawl upstairs and sleep for another few hours, if he left the room the way it was when his tenants woke would be a disgrace to him as a landlord.

An hour later, the room was at least presentable, though still imperfect. Waving his arms in a dismissive gesture, Jake shuffled tiredly up the stairs, letting out an impressive yawn. The room no longer was a disaster area, and he could always finish cleaning later. It was time to pick up the whole place anyway.

Jake heard the sounds of muffled voices coming from next door when he reached his room. His interest piqued, he approached slowly, quite certain it was Keitaro and Naru "playing around" again in Keitaro's room. An impish grin crossed his face as he got close enough to hear what was going on beyond the mostly closed doorway to Keitaro's room. Obviously, neither of them had heard Jake approach the door as the two continued about their business.

"Is it okay, Naru?"

"Y-yes, just be gentle."

"Here I go, then."

Jake furrowed his brow. They sounded like a couple straight out of a dating sim game. He had to suppress a laugh at the thought of the two bumbling fools trying to figure out what goes where.

Without warning, Jake suddenly heard the following happen within the course of one second: Naru yelled "Baka," a thump of bone striking flesh, and a terrible crash of shattering glass as Keitaro likely was thrown through a window at near the speed of sound.

Jake acted on instinct when he fled the scene, trying to make as little noise as possible during his retreat. When he reached the stairs, he turned on his heels and ran back towards the scene of the crime, no longer bothering to keep quiet. Putting on his best "concerned voice", he rapped on the door a few times and called out, "Is everything okay in there?"

"Uh, j-just a moment, please," Naru called out from beyond the portal. Jake quickly stole a glance through the crack in the door. Naru was frantically trying to make herself presentable, smoothing out her skirt and shaking her other hand through her disheveled hair, apparently trying to make it appear less matted from lying down.

Naru moved towards the door and Jake immediately averted himself away from the crack in the door. He steeled his nerves, putting on his best face as Naru threw the door open and asked nonchalantly, "Hey, what's up?

Jake bit down hard on his tongue to keep a quickly approaching belly laugh in check. Naru's visage easily belied her casual greeting. Her hair remained a ragged mess; the remains of her lipstick were smeared all over her mouth, and her clothes here badly wrinkled. Topping it off, she was panting heavily and her face was flushed a deep shade of red. Keitaro must have been doing something right, after all, Jake thought.

"Is everything okay in here? I thought I heard you yell "baka" and then a window broke or something."

Naru tried to giggle away her nervousness. "Everything is fine, Jake. You must be hearing things."

Jake clenched his teeth, but he could feel his abdomen begin to shake. "Where is Keitaro? Didn't he come back with you?" He tried to glance past Naru into the room, but she pulled the door close to her body to block his view.

"Nope, I haven't seen him at all since class."

Jake nodded sagely. "Come with me," he said, and started down the hallway.

Naru protested immediately, but Jake snatched her by the hand and dragged her out of the room. Upon reaching the second floor bathroom, he flipped the light switch on and motioned towards the mirror before leaving the girl to her devices.

Naru did a double take at her reflection, her jaw hitting the floor. As Naru cried out in agony at the beautiful mess staring back at her in the mirror, Jake rightly began to laugh until his sides hurt.

* * *

Jake was sworn to secrecy, as Naru mercilessly threatened his naughty bits should word of that incident leak to the other tenants, especially to Kitsune. It was not as if he was going to tell anyone anyway. As far as he was concerned, it was hardly a big enough deal to get worked up about in the first place.

In the end, however, his promise to Naru was short-lived, as there was one person he desperately needed to consult about the issue, lest his bankroll suffer dearly for all the repairs required to the place whenever something went awry.

Jake cornered Keitaro after his return to the premises approximately thirty minutes after his launch through his own window. Jake followed his friend to his room to assess the damage to the window frame, a couple of cans of cola in hand for the two of them. After cracking open his can and taking a swig, Jake asked, almost rhetorically, "How are things going between you and Naru lately?"

The nervous reaction Keitaro expressed made it perfectly obvious to Jake that he was still thinking about their little tryst earlier in the morning. "Everything is fine, Jake. W-What do you mean?" Keitaro replied, putting on his best face.

Jake grimaced. Keitaro was an even worse liar than his girlfriend. "I saw, or rather, heard what happened earlier," Jake admitted, scratch idly at this cheek.

Keitaro's face turned red and he held his arms out in front of himself, trying to ward off any accusations. Jake laughed at Keitaro's extreme reaction. "Relax, Keitaro, I'm not Motoko, you know. I'm not going to toss you out another window here."

Keitaro's shoulders slumped. "I know, it's just," Keitaro stumbled over his words. Jake could tell he was both confused and frustrated.

"It's what?" Jake asked calmly.

"Embarrassing," Keitaro replied, hanging his head.

"Of course it is," Jake merrily said with a laugh, much to Keitaro's chagrin. "What the hell were you doing that made her react like that in the first place?"

Keitaro shrugged, keeping his eyes lowered to the floor. "I didn't do anything, really. Every time I, you know," Keitaro motioned with his hands for emphasis, "she just freaks out and tosses me off."

Jake snickered at Keitaro's interesting choice of words. With a long and loud sigh, he leaned back with a knowing smile. "Would you care for some advice?"

Keitaro turned his head to one side. "Well, it has been getting pretty frustrating if you know what I mean."

"I can imagine," Jake replied, nodding sagely.

"So, yeah, I'd appreciate any advice you could give me," Keitaro said sincerely. "I know you have a little more," Keitaro tilted his hand side to side, as if struggling to come up with the right words, until a comfortable word came to him, "experience than I do."

Jake paused to take another long pull on his can of cola before beginning his monologue. "Okay, when it comes to being with a woman, there are two simple rules: first, having confidence is absolutely critical. Fumbling around like a junior high student is not only going to get you laughed at, it's a real turn off. Second, it is not just what you do, it's how you do it. Take your time with her. She isn't going anywhere, and you shouldn't make it seem like you are in a hurry to get to the goods." Jake, wondering why Keitaro was so remarkably silent, glanced over his direction, and saw he was quickly scribbling notes in a small note pad. Jake reached over and smacked the note pad out of his hand. "What the hell are you doing? It's not like I'm going to test you on this stuff later!"

Keitaro apologized, "Sorry, force of habit."

"Anyway, I have an idea," Jake concluded, motioning Keitaro closer so he could whisper to him. "Here's what you do…"

* * *

"Well, he is a guy, after all, Naru," Kitsune replied matter-of-factly, snatching up another freshly cleaned teacup and wiping it dry. Her best friend sat slumped over a nearby table, lightly banging her head against it in sheer frustration.

"I don't know what my problem is, Kitsune. It's just…" Naru threw her hands up in the air.

"You feel weird with someone like him being your first, right?" Kitsune asked, leaning against the wall as she continued her work.

Naru snapped to attention upon hearing Kitsune's question. "How did you?"

Kitsune chuckled knowingly. "I know how you feel, Naru. It was like that for me too." Letting out a sigh, Kitsune added, "It's like that for most people."

A nearby teakettle howled for attention, it's whistle drawing Kitsune away from her current task of drying dishes. Kitsune placed the trappings of two settings for tea on a platter and joined her friend. As she poured the finished product into two teacups, she asked, "So where are you supposed to be right now?"

Naru placed her cheek on her hand to rest her head and answered blandly, "Shopping."

Kitsune harrumphed. These happenstances were becoming more common as Naru and Keitaro's relationship grew. Something unfortunate would happen, and Naru would come crying to her for advice. It put her in a bit of a predicament as well, considering she had never been in a significant relationship such as theirs, and finding answers to Naru's questions was becoming more and more of a chore. However, physical relationships were something she had plenty of experience with.

The look on Naru's face told Kitsune what was wrong better than words ever could. "He's scared too, you know," Kitsune said, placing a reassuring hand on Naru's shoulder.

Naru smiled halfheartedly. "I know, but…"

"You love him, right?"

After a short pause, Naru replied with a nod.

"You want to be with him forever, right?"

"Yes." There was no apprehension in her voice.

"So, you really don't have anything to be afraid of, do you?"

Naru shrugged. "I guess not."

Kitsune's ole' light bulb illuminated. "I have an idea."

"What do you mean, Kitsune?" Naru asked, backing herself away from the table instinctively. Whenever her friend got that look on her face it was never a good sign for the people around her.

Kitsune snatched Naru by the hand, pulling her to her feet. "W-where are we going, Kitsune?" Naru asked.

Leading her up the stairs leading to her apartment above the teahouse, Kitsune replied, "Come on. I have something for you." Kitsune dragged her friend into her apartment and shut the door behind her.

* * *

When Kitsune threw the deadbolt, locking the pair in the room, Naru knew she was in big trouble.

Night fell over the Hinata apartments, bright moonbeams striking through the coalescing fog rolling through the town below. Jake swung open the front door to the building, and a rush of crisp spring air rushed through the portal, sending a chill down his spine. He noticed immediately that Keitaro, who had been pacing around the area outside the structure, still marched to-and-fro like a patrolling soldier.

Shinobu, fresh from cleaning the kitchen after dinner, leaned against the doorjamb opposite the foreigner. "What's wrong with Urashima-sempai?"

"You'll understand when you get there, Shinobu-chan," Jake answered, not bothering to look at the wistful-looking teen.

"He's going for it with Narusegawa-sempai, isn't he?"

Jake nodded immediately before doing a double take at Shinobu. Her witty, adult inquiry left Jake in awe. He never expected that kind of response from the seemingly innocent young woman. "Wait, what are you talking about?" he asked defensively.

"I'm fifteen-and-a-half, Jake. You don't have to treat me like some naïve child," Shinobu replied, turning away from the door.

Jake smirked at the teenager. He needed to give her more credit, quite obviously. She was finally growing up. However, he decided to keep to himself that adults generally refrain from adding halves to their ages.

Shinobu turned and walked away from the scene, muttering, "It's about time."

Jake watched the girl as she climbed to the second floor, before shaking his head quickly and turning back to Keitaro, who was still pacing around like a British royal guardsman. "Waiting around like this won't make her come back any faster, you know," Jake informed him.

Keitaro stopped suddenly, letting Jake's wisdom sink in before responding. Keitaro turned and walked past Jake into the building and dropped himself onto a sofa with a rather loud sigh. "She's been gone for almost four hours. This isn't like her at all."

"Did you try calling her cell phone?" Jake asked, taking a seat across from his counterpart.

"She's not answering. She either forgot it or isn't answering me."

They pondered for a few moments before the sound of two giggling girls coming from outside reached their ears. Keitaro rushed to the exit, looked outside and saw Naru picking herself up from the ground, while Kitsune was laughing so hard she had her hands on her knees to brace herself. Both women obviously had a good amount of alcohol in their systems.

"Where the hell have you been?" Keitaro asked like a disappointed father.

Kitsune squinted at Keitaro and responded, "Ah, Keitaro-kun. I, uh, borrowed your girlfriend for a bit." Naru giggled at Kitsune, who responded by putting a finger to her mouth, in plain sight of her onlookers. Whatever secret they were trying to hide was pointlessly exposed already.

Keitaro placed his hands on his hips. "I don't know what is going on here, but you had be worried sick, Narusegawa."

Naru wobbled over to Keitaro and leaned into him, lewdly pushing her breasts into his chest. She toyed with a lock of his hair and apologized, "Sorry, Kei-kun. We just had some things to talk about…over a few drinks of course."

This response elicited a sharp laugh from Kitsune, who was having trouble keeping her own balance as well. Jake, ignoring his actions the previous evening, rushed over to keep Kitsune from breaking her own neck. The fox braced herself before squinting at her rescuer. Her breath reeked of cheap liquor, causing Jake to turn his head and cough. "Man, you are totally wasted."

"I haven't had that much, Jake," Kitsune replied with a crazy giggle.

Meanwhile, Keitaro was trying to help Naru into the building, but she kept stumbling over her own feet. Keitaro resolved the situation by picking her up and carrying her into the building. Naru winked and gave a thumbs-up to Kitsune as the couple disappeared through the doorway, which Jake saw as plain as day. "Go for it!" Kitsune exclaimed, cheering Naru on.

"What did you do, Kitsune?" Jake asked accusingly. He already had a good idea, but he wanted to hear it from the horse's mouth.

Kitsune straightened herself up and shrugged her shoulders, letting herself into the apartment building. Jake followed close behind, as Kitsune dragged herself up the stairs to the second floor, asking his question again. Kitsune snapped at Jake to quiet him and, showing more dexterity for her condition than Jake would have ever given her credit for, tiptoed very quietly to his room and let herself in.

"What the hell?" Jake asked to nobody in general, his only choice of action to follow the shorthaired woman into his own room. When Jake entered, he noticed Kitsune pressing her ear against the far wall. She motioned for Jake to join her. He sighed deeply. What else could he do? He moved next to her and joined in on the eavesdropping. Jake trained his hearing onto the muffled voices beyond the wall.

"You did all this for me?" Naru asked.

"Yes."

"This is really romantic, Keitaro."

"Thanks. I would do anything for you."

A moment of silence caused Kitsune to snicker to herself. Jake cocked half a grin. The line was cheesy, but it seemed to be working. The voices continued after a minute.

"So you're saying you want to express your feelings for me physically, right?" Naru asked with her usual threatening tone. Jake frowned instinctively. If something went wrong in there, half the place was surely going to be burned to the ground.

There was a short pause, then Keitaro answered confidently, "Well, yeah."

Naru giggled. "Good answer. I do too."

Another protracted moment of silence later, Jake pulled away from the wall. He had heard enough, though it seemed Kitsune, on the other hand, was really getting into it. Jake was forced to peel her away, lest Keitaro be subject to another costly blackmail from the resident schemer.

* * *

One hundred lit candles of various shapes and sizes were scattered around Keitaro's room, bathing the room in a warm yet soft golden light. The entire floor was blanketed with a mixture of sakura blossoms and rose petals. Soft, romantic music played in the background from a boom box tucked away in a corner of the room. The two lovers lay in a futon, wrapped in each other's arms, nothing separating their bodies.

"Are you sure it's okay like this, Naru-chan?" Keitaro asked.

Naru nodded wordlessly, seducing her love with her smile.

"I love you, Naru."

"I love you, too, Keitaro."

* * *

Jake gently lifted the head of the schemer, Kitsune, who was now passed out on a sofa in the great room and slipped a pillow underneath it. He covered her with a blanket, and Kitsune responded by turning onto her side, wrapping herself tighter around the covers. Jake knelt beside and stared at her sleeping form for a few minutes, brushing the hair out of her face.

Almost unconsciously, Jake began to whisper out loud to Kitsune in his native tongue: "I'm sorry about last night. I don't really understand for myself why I tried to ignore you. The truth, I guess, is that I'm a little jealous of your boyfriend."

Kitsune shifted her body slightly, muttering some drunken, incomprehensible phrase. Jake smiled at her, leaning in closer to her for a moment before pulling back. He silently cursed his terrible luck. If only he had not needed to leave when he did. If only he had the strength to be completely honest with himself, things might have turned out differently. Perhaps he might not have needed to be jealous.

The feelings he had in that moment lifted his heart, but frightened him down to his bones. The last time he felt this way, it ended in such heartache. It was unbearable; a journey through a personal hell. He didn't know if he could live should it happen again. Not yet. He lacked the strength to face down that nightmare.

Jake pulled his shaking hands away from Kitsune, and took a few steadying breaths. So excited, yet frightened at the same time. He felt a familiar burning sensation in his eyes. It was something he associated with this bittersweet emotion. It had been a while since he felt so vulnerable. He laughed silently at his own foolishness, wiping away the tears forming on the corners of his eyes.

Jake stood up and approached the stairway, turning off the light. He looked back at Kitsune, whose sleeping form appeared only as a silhouette. He opened his mouth, wanting to share his feelings with her, even if she was asleep and unable to hear. However, before he could summon the courage to speak, a tiny voice interrupted him.

"Jake?" the voice asked. It was Kitsune. Her voice sounded weary, and hearing her call his name captivated Jake once more.

"Yeah," Jake responded into the darkness, silently urging his pounding heart to calm down, lest it overwhelm him. Had she heard what he said before? It was no matter, since there was no way she understood exactly what he said, but the mere thought of her knowing his honest thoughts nearly sent him into a panic.

"Thanks," Kitsune said, summing her thoughts into one word.

Jake let out an imperceptible sigh of relief. Had she said something ridiculous like "wait" or "stay", he had no idea what he would have done. "You're welcome," he replied, trying to keep his voice as even as possible as his welling emotions threatened to overtake him. He retreated up the stairs as quickly as possible, somehow reaching his room before slumping to his knees, at last allowing his tears to fall.

* * *

Kitsune pulled her body into a ball, staring into the darkness. How desperately she had wanted to tell Jake to stay with her until she fell asleep. His touch warmed her soul like a blanket, and it grieved her to be separated from it. But she lacked the courage to ask him for such favor. She had no idea where it could lead, and she was afraid she wouldn't be able to control herself.

She found herself navigating in uncharted waters for the first time since she could recall. She had no problem seducing other men she desired them. Most men treated her as an object, and she reciprocated by treating men in the same manner. But something about Jake struck her as different from the others. She valued the time spent with him, even if it were a pointless, fleeting moment where nothing but a greeting and parting word were shared between them. She was unwilling to sacrifice that relationship for only one night of physical pleasure.

She silently cursed her rotten luck. Why did he have to leave when he did? Why wasn't she able to tell him how she felt when she had the chance? Why does she always settle for second-best, even when what her heart truly desires lay right before her?

The answer to all of her questions was simple. She felt unworthy. Happiness was reserved for only those truly worthy to receive it. She had done terrible things, and had terrible things done to her. There was no possible means of redemption for her. Her only solace was in helping others find the happiness she herself would never obtain. She honestly believed that was enough to give her life meaning.

But that night, like many before, she still cries herself to sleep.

* * *

A/N: And another chapter is in the books. This chapter ended a lot differently than it was written the first time, but I think I like this version a lot better. It sets the tone for a budding relationship between Jake and Kitsune a lot better, and introduces elements I intend to flesh out in future chapters much more smoothly. Hey, maybe now the title for this fanfic will make a little sense to you now! Anyway, thanks for reading, and drop me a line with your thoughts via review if you so desire!

P.S. - Thanks Mike, for sort-of beta reading for me. ;-)


	13. Relationships

Love's Redemption: Relationships

Brimming with a wellspring of energy from an unknown source, Jake awoke earlier than normal and helped Shinobu with breakfast preparations, albeit quietly as Kitsune was still sawing logs in the adjacent room. As he was about to lay the last place setting on the dining room table, Su drifted through the door, still clothed in yesterday's school uniform. Emitting a wide-mouthed yawn that would have impressed a hippopotamus, she sat down in her normal seat. "Good morning," she sleepily muttered, her voice barely louder than a whisper.

"Good morning, Su-chan," Jake responded. "Long night?" he asked after giving the ragged-looking Molmolian a onceover.

"Yeah. I pulled another all-nighter."

"Well, that's good. Wait, what do you mean another one?" Jake asked after digesting Su's words.

"You really shouldn't overwork yourself, Kaolla," Shinobu admonished her elder as she placed two steaming rice bowls on the table.

Su waved her hand weakly in a dismissive gesture. "Don't worry, I'm not skimping on my studies."

"What are you working on that's keeping you up nights, anyhow?" Jake wondered.

"That, my dear landlord, is a secret," Su brightly said with a mysterious wink of her jade-colored eye.

Jake smirked, leaning onto the table in a feeble attempt to adopt a dominant posture in front of the young woman. "It better not be another doomsday device. I've heard the horror stories about your inventions, Su-chan."

Su shook her head and smiled mischievously. "Not even close! As a matter of fact, the one I'm working on at the moment is specifically designed for you, Jake!"

Jake blinked. "For me? What is it?"

Su leaned back in her chair and folded her arms. "I told you, it is a secret. I should have it ready by tomorrow, so I suppose I could show you then."

"Thanks, I guess?" Jake couldn't help but worry. He envisioned some horrible contraption designed to suck his brain out, or a device that tracked him down and detonated on contact. Such thoughts began to make him feel a little bit green.

Jake's worrisome mood lifted with Mutsumi's arrival. She positively glowed; her beautiful visage unfazed by her tousled hair and baggy eyes. "Good morning, everyone," she sweetly greeted the trio. That woman could sooth the soul of a battleraging berserker, Jake thought.

"Good morning, turtle-lady," Su replied cheerfully.

"Good morning, Mutsumi-san. Did you have trouble sleeping last night?"

"Ara, Jake-kun," Mutsumi replied, tilting her head to the side and placing her hands on her hips, "Are you trying to say that I don't look well? I didn't take you for that kind of man."

"Oh no, that's not what I meant at all, it's just…" Jake began to reply defensively but stopped when the dark-haired beauty began to giggle. "You're sassing me, aren't you?"

"You're just too much fun to play with!" Unable to contain herself, Mutsumi began to laugh merrily at Jake's expense. Unsurprisingly, he could not find it in his heart to be angry with the woman. She was simply too adorable, and her playful attitude only made her seem more attractive to him.

"But on a more serious note, yes, I did have problems sleeping. I kept hearing strange noises coming from Kei-kun's room last night. Do you know something about that, Mr. Manager?"

Only two words came to Jake's mind: plausible deniability. "No, Mutsumi-san. I was out like a light," he lied. He turned to Su and, knowing full well she was far out of earshot of hearing anything lewd coming from the couple, asked, "Did you hear anything weird, Su-chan?"

Su shook her head in the negative. "I can check my cameras later to see if there was anything weird happening. If it was Keitaro's room, I can hazard a few guesses as to what was going on."

Jake blinked several times as Mutsumi giggled at the dark skinned girl's jest. "Cameras? You have cameras hidden in the tenants' rooms?"

"Yeah…so?" Su asked, seemingly without a care in the entire world.

Jake was nonplussed by the young woman's carefree attitude. "So? You must be breaking some sort of privacy law with something such as that, Su-chan! Do you have one set up in my room, too?"

Su winked at the American. "I see all," she intoned in her best baritone.

"You are so great, Su-chan," Mutsumi praised the mad scientist.

Jake sighed loudly. He falsely believed at least the beatific Mutsumi would recognize the folly of Su's actions. More importantly, Su was sure to have ample amounts of blackmail material on the entire household with those cameras. She could likely even pull Kitsune's strings with the substance she had in her possession.

The most prudent course of action at that point was simple: retreat. Shinobu stood at the stovetop, working her magic on another of her various fragrant dishes as Jake approached. "Smells great, Shinobu-chan!"

Shinobu did a double take in Jake's direction and replied, "Oh, thanks. This is actually something new I decided to try."

"You seem to have the Midas touch when it comes to cooking. When are you going to teach me to make a few of these tasty dishes?" he asked jokingly.

"I'll teach you as soon as you can read this," Shinobu teased, tossing the cookbook she was using in Jake's direction. The blue-haired teen winked and stuck her tongue out at her landlord.

After thumbing through a few pages of the complex symbols jammed between pictures of some traditional Japanese dishes, Jake closed the book and set it back on the counter. "Fine, then. I guess I'll have to teach you a few things about American cuisine. Maybe I'll have to grill up some burgers and dogs sometime to break the monotony."

Shinobu turned off the burners and moved the finished products from their respective cookware into bowls, loading them onto a serving tray. "That's perfect! I have a date tonight, so you can take care of dinner this evening. Pour the drinks for me, will you, please?"

Shinobu glided out of the room, foodstuffs in tow, leaving Jake in shock. "Hold on, back up a tick," he said, and moved to follow Shinobu, but remembered the task assigned to him, and thought better about confronting the girl in front of the other tenants.

Just as Jake finished setting out the beverages, Keitaro glided into the room, humming a random tune. His hair was disheveled, but a toothy grin was pasted to his face. Spreading his arms out as wide as they would reach, Keitaro belted out, "Good morning, everyone!"

The table's occupants muttered their responses, sans the bubbly cheerfulness. Motoko, who had entered whilst Jake and Shinobu were discussing cooking and kanji, lifted her eyes from her notebook, eyeballing Keitaro suspiciously. Shinobu smirked, a hint of color touching her cheeks, while Mutsumi played her usual naïve self, playfully chatting away with Keitaro. Su was oblivious, waiting with bated breath for Shinobu to declare breakfast officially ready.

A moment later, Naru made her appearance, looking much the same as Keitaro. She wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him on the cheek before greeting the others at the table.

Jake bit his tongue, trying mightily not to make a crude comment as he sat down in his seat. However, Naru's post-coital leisurely stroll was not lost on his trained eye. With a smirk, and in an attempt to raise his mind out of its current residence in the gutter, he glanced at the seat to his right, noticing it was still empty. "We're still short one," he noted verbally.

Naru, bubbly as she has ever been, chirped, "She's up. She just needed to wash her face. She has a pretty vicious hangover, I suppose. It's strange though."

"How so?" Jake asked, noting the thoughtful look on Naru's face.

Naru retained her pensive look for a moment before shrugging. "I just didn't think she had quite that much to drink last night. My memory is pretty hazy about that though. I don't remember too much."

"Aw, don't say that," Jake replied toothily. "Someone might be disappointed."

There was enough blushing to go around after that comment. Even Motoko had to raise her notebook to her face to hide the heat flushing into her face. "Well, no sense waiting around while the food gets cold for one more. Dig in!" Shinobu exclaimed.

While everyone finished loading his or her plate, Kitsune finally slithered in, looking awfully green. Her voice like a sputtering engine, she said, "Good morning," without an ounce of enthusiasm as she dragged her feet across the hardwood floor. When she sat, she saw her plate was already full of food. She wearily glanced up at Jake, who smiled in response. "Thank you," she said in English, a weary smile cracking through her façade. "Itadakimasu."

The table was mostly quiet for the next several minutes, before Kitsune, who was beginning to brighten up with food in her system, noticed Keitaro and Naru stealing glances and winks at each other. Without any hesitation, she asked Keitaro, "So, did you get some last night?"

Motoko spat out the water she had been drinking all over Jake's face. He lurched back instinctively, causing his chair to tip backwards, dumping him unceremoniously to the floor. Shinobu covered her mouth with her hands, not believing what she had just heard. Su stood on her chair, leaning over the table to stare at Keitaro. Even Mutsumi's mouth gaped at the question. "Get some what?" Su asked. "Is 'some' tasty?"

Time stood still for a moment after the smoke cleared. All eyes fell on Naru and Keitaro, except Jake of course, as he was seeing stars at the moment, bathed in the former contents of Motoko's mouth. "I'm alright, I'm okay, everyone. No one cares, do they?"

Naru pounded her fists on the table, jumping out of her seat. "Kitsune!" she exclaimed, her face as red as the setting sun. Her eyes might have bored holes into a normal person, but Kitsune had a natural immunity to tsundere.

Keitaro's face was equally red, but he was not as adamant as his lover at denying it. He was playing with his hands, a silly grin on his face, looking up as if the answer was hidden somewhere on the ceiling.

Kitsune laughed mightily. "Oh, the look on your faces right now is simply classic! And the way you fell out of your chair was just like it was scripted, Jake!"

"Gee, thanks for your concern," Jake retorted. He stood up and wiped the fluid from his face.

"Sorry about that," Motoko said, embarrassed by her outburst.

"Anyway, congratulations, you two. You're officially now in a serious relationship," Kitsune added, giving the star-crossed couple a round of applause.

"Pardon me for interrupting, Kitsune-san," Motoko interjected, "but I fail to see how a couple's…sexual endeavors…somehow qualifies their relationship."

"A couple's first time is very important, Motoko-san," Mutsumi replied. "You finally get to share all the feelings you've had pent up since the beginning and it feels really good, too!"

"You talk as if speaking from experience, Mutsumi-san," Jake said with a laugh.

"Only what my mother has told me."

"You mean you've never?"

"Nope."

"Wow, that's pretty hard to believe, considering OUCH!" Jake recoiled and rubbed at his stinging ear, which had been flicked by Kitsune. "What was that for?"

"It's not polite for you to try to get a woman to talk about her chastity," Kitsune replied, turning her chin up haughtily.

"You're the one who started it with that little quip! Or are you still too drunk to remember what you just said two minutes ago?"

Shinobu yanked on the pair's reigns by clearing her throat loudly. "Not to be rude, but could we possibly not talk about such things at breakfast?"

"You're right, Shinobu, sorry about that," Jake said.

"Thank you."

"In the interest of raising the level of conversation, just so you all know, I will be handing dinner preparations this evening since the resident chef will be indisposed due to the date she has this evening."

This time it was Shinobu's turn to spray a fine mist of water from her mouth. Naru beamed at Shinobu and asked, "Is it that one cute guy in that class next to you that you always talk about?"

"Yeah, he's such a hottie."

"I know!"

Keitaro rolled his eyes and turned away to avoid getting sucked into the girlish conversation.

Kaolla, with a large tendril on drool hanging from the side of her mouth despite having just eaten, stared at Jake with starry eyes and asked, "So what's for dinner?"

Jake flashed thumbs up and responded, "Burgers and dogs!"

"Are dogs yummy?"

"Well, I wouldn't know about the animal, but my hot dogs are yummy."

"Yay!" Su exclaimed, looking more excited then Jake could recall in recent memory.

"That's an awful lot of fatty meat," Motoko noted aloud. "I'm not sure that I can agree with such an unhealthy meal."

"Ah, don't worry about it. One fatty meal won't kill you. Protein is good for building muscle anyway," Jake offered, dismissing Motoko's protestations.

"Lean protein you mean," Motoko corrected the American.

"I'll make you deal, then. If you don't like it, I'll make you something else to make up for it," Jake offered.

Motoko grinned widely. "Are you sure about that? I've never had a western dish that I didn't think was garbage."

Jake smirked. "That's because they've all lacked the American touch. Trust me, you're gonna love it."

Keitaro nodded in agreement. "It's true. There's a huge difference between having a western meal here and in the States. We'll have to get the grill out of storage though. Who knows how long it's been sitting there unused. It'll probably need some touching up."

"No worries. I'll take care of it." Jake asked if anyone knew where in town to get ground beef and hot dogs. Shinobu knew of one such place, and offered to take Jake there. Kitsune threw her hat into the ring and offered to bring the alcohol for those of age and other refreshments for the underage girls.

Having all the plans in order for the evening, everyone enjoyed the rest of breakfast, merrily conversing with each other. Jake caught himself wearing a smile, albeit bittersweet. This was like a slice of home for him, but his family wasn't there to share the coming evening with him. He made a mental note to call his sisters and check up on them later, and then went back to enjoying his meal.

Jake and Shinobu left the dorm soon after breakfast and the two enjoyed a silent leisurely stroll into town. Neither said much, other than commenting on the nice weather they were enjoying recently. The perennial fog blanketing the town grew thicker as they approached the market, much like the crowd.

As crowd crushed around the two, Jake put his hand on Shinobu's shoulder. She turned and looked at him with a puzzled expression. "So I don't lose you," Jake explained. Shinobu nodded and smiled, the blood rushing to her face quickly cooling. As much as she would like to wear the veil of an adult, she was still unused to a male's touch, Jake thought.

After several bumps and bruises, they finally reached their destination: a corner beef market. Jake explained what he was looking for and the cheery middle-aged owner quickly gestured Jake towards his small selection of ground beef and franks of questionable origin and composition.

Jake murmured over the din to Shinobu quietly enough so as to not bring insult upon the owner, "Are you sure this stuff is okay?"

"I come here for beef all the time. It's good, I promise."

Not fully trusting what the shop keep was telling him, but taking Shinobu's word for it, Jake grudgingly forked over the cash for several pounds of ground beef and franks along with some cheap-looking hamburger and hotdog buns. As he received his change from the vendor, he began to wonder if he was going to lose his bet with Motoko after all.

Getting out of the market with several heaping bags worth of groceries was even more difficult than entering. It was simply impossible to move at times, and squeezing through the market was surely flattening the bread buns. Just when Jake was about to lose his temper and start shoving people out of his way, the crowd thinned.

"It might have been worth it to just take a train into the city," Jake grunted.

Shinobu chuckled and replied, "The beef is much better here than in town, Jake. Trust me on this."

"If you say so."

Shinobu looked at her watch nonchalantly, gasping at what she saw. Whirling around, she exclaimed, "Sorry, Jake, but I have to run. You know your way back?"

Jake nodded. "I know my way from here."

"See you later then. Bye!" Shinobu turned and dashed towards the thickening miasma.

"Thanks again!" Jake called out to the girl, who waved back in response without breaking stride. "Alone again, naturally," he sang to himself as he trudged along.

This was nothing new for him. He routinely handled much of the "womanly" day-to-day chores while his mother worked every day to support three children. Determined to give his sisters the best life possible, he never delegated any chores to them. He tried to make life without a father as transparent as possible. It wasn't always easy, especially on his social life, but he had his priorities, and if his friends could not accept that, then they would not be considered his friends.

As soon as his youngest sister turned sixteen, Jake began to think about what he had missed out on. He never did anything much other than play baseball and study in college. With his family stable, he decided to play his hand at making a major league team. It would be the first selfish thing he would ever do.

After failing, Jake went back to being a father figure. When Keitaro called him out of the blue, the hope of his dream came back, but he never voiced it to his family. His mother fell ill to the cancer she thought she had beaten several years before, and his sisters were just finishing high school. However, the ladies could see in Jake's eyes that something was missing in his life. He had his own turmoil to overcome. When he finally mustered up the courage to tell his family about his new possibility, they were the ones who actually had to coax him into leaving for Japan to try to make his own life.

Jake pushed on through the fog, nodding and smiling to the several passersby. As he approached the stairs leading to the dorms, Jake heard a strange bell-like ringing coming from somewhere behind him. He turned and discovered its source: a stubby old man, decked out much like the old man he had met when he arrived the first time, who stood partially veiled in the ivory white and gray fog.

Seemingly apparitional, the stooped elderly man said cryptically, "The past binds, the present clouds, the future frees." Jake squinted at the strange man, unable to make any sense of what he was saying. He looked around, wondering if the old man was speaking to someone other than him. Unfortunately, he was the only one around the area. The man continued, "You cannot find your happiness here."

Jake frowned at the man's comment. It was as if he knew about Jake's failure and was pouring salt into his wound. "What are you saying? That I should just go home, then?"

The old man looked puzzled and scratched the back of his head, where he still had some strings of silver on his withering mane. "Did I say that?"

Jake smirked contemptuously and turned away from the elderly man. "What the hell do you know about anything anyway?" he asked in English, his question more rhetorical than anything. Jake stomped off in a huff, without waiting for a response.

The old man he left behind wore a surprisingly toothy grin. Out of Jake's earshot, the old bat stated, "Happiness will find you first." With that, he vanished back into the thickening cloud of mist.

Jake grumbled to himself as he climbed the never-ending stairs leading to Hinata Sou. What the old man had said really rubbed him the wrong way. "_What's wrong with me being here? Am I just wasting my time? And why the hell am I letting some old man's ramblings bother me so much?_"

Before he even realized it, he was stepping through the front entrance to the dorms. Several voices welcomed him home, including one he did not recognize immediately. He glanced up, seeing Kentaro sitting on the sofa, his arm wrapped around Kitsune's waist. A small flicker of jealousy and anger flashed across Jake's, to his own surprise.

"I'm home," Jake said flatly. His mind flashed back to what the old man had said. "_Are the old men here prophets or something?_" He continued to wrack his brain as he walked across the common room into the kitchen area, leaving everyone else dumbfounded.

"What's his problem?" Naru asked.

"I'll go see," Keitaro replied, standing up and following Jake into the kitchen.

Jake was pulling the various purchases from the bags when Keitaro stepped into the room. Jake didn't even notice him. He was still locked in battle with his own mind. Keitaro approached his foreign friend and asked, "What's up, Jake?"

Jake jumped with a start. "Keitaro! You scared the living piss out of me!"

Keitaro chuckled openly. "You are out of it, Jake. What's the matter? Something bothering you?"

Jake started to reply and stopped. He finally began, "Have you ever dealt with those old fogeys running around town?"

Keitaro nodded. "Something they said bothering you?"

"N-not really," Jake lied. "One just said I 'wouldn't be happy' or something like that."

"I wouldn't worry too much about those geezers. They don't have much else better to do than play pranks on kids with their cryptic messages."

"I don't know. It was like he was familiar with my circumstances. Like he knew things about me. It was just for a moment, but I felt like he knew about what happened with…I must sound crazy saying stuff like this."

"Just a little bit," Keitaro admitted.

Jake chuckled, "Well, enough with sounding like I'm losing my mind. Would you mind helping me with this?"

"Sure."

The two men carried everything needed for the barbeque from the kitchen through the foyer to the grill now sitting outside of the front door. To Jake's chagrin, Kentaro did not even offer any assistance. He entertained ideas of scorching Kentaro's meat or spicing it to oblivion. While the image of Kentaro running around breathing fire for two hours gave Jake a good chuckle, he ultimately decided to be the better man.

Jake was left outside to his own devices while the others stayed indoors chatting away with each other. "_I'm gonna find that old man and beat the tar out of him,_" Jake sneered, gnashing his teeth. While grilling was something he enjoyed, normally he had at least someone to keep him company back home while he cooked. That was what made gatherings back home such an enjoyable experience for him. He felt pathetic standing there all alone.

Meanwhile, the others were laughing at a joke Su told everything that she heard from a classmate, when Kitsune glanced out at Jake, who was staring stoically at the increasing plume of smoke billowing from the grill. She stared out at him, wondering why he appeared so miserable.

Kentaro glanced at his girlfriend, and then turned to see what she was staring at. He smirked at Jake's image with some contempt and nudged Kitsune with his shoulder. "Something interesting out there?"

Kitsune flinched at the sudden contact, suddenly aware of her situation. She shook her head and said, "No, Jake is just out there by himself." The others turned to look at Jake in tandem.

At that very moment, Jake happened to look up from the grill, seeing everyone staring at him. He played his part, putting on a cheerful face and waving at everyone.

"He looks lonely," Kitsune noted aloud.

Kentaro shifted his body in his seat, obviously, irritated, but maintained his casual smirk and shrugged his shoulders as if without a care in the world. "So what? He is the manager is he not? Since when does the manager consort with the tenants?"

Keitaro raised his hand, but Kentaro paid no mind to the spectacled former ronin. Kitsune waved Keitaro off, her body language telling him that she did not need any assistance in defusing the situation. "Jealous, Kentaro?" Kitsune playfully asked, her voice hinting at a touch of sincerity.

The onlookers to the budding of the lover's quarrel cast nervous glances at each other.

"Jealous of what, him? Don't make me laugh, Mitsune. Is there something about a gaijin such as he that I should be jealous about? Didn't he come here to try out for some baseball team and fail? Are you telling me I should be jealous of someone that can't accept failure and go home?" As he spoke words of contempt for Jake, Kentaro removed his arm from around Kitsune's waist.

Shinobu winced at the force of Kentaro's words and quickly turned to see if Jake had heard any portion of what Kentaro just said. The smoke wafting from the grill hid him well enough and the sound of sizzling and snapping fat must have masked a lot of the noise coming from inside, as he whistled to himself while turning the meats over with an old pair of tongs.

Su just blinked. Keitaro and Naru just looked at each other. Mutsumi's perennial contented look vanished. Motoko, however, had heard enough. She leapt to her feet. "What the hell would you know about it, Kentaro?"

Kitsune smiled softly and motioned Motoko to relax and sit down, never removing her eyes from Kentaro. "You say these terrible things about him, Kentaro, but the truth is you don't know anything about him other than a few trite details. No offense, Keitaro, but I think it's been accepted that he is the best manager we've ever had here."

After a collective nod from her fellow tenants and friends, Kitsune continued, "And look, he's outside right now grilling YOUR dinner that he graciously decided to pay for himself. He's certainly good enough to pay for your meal, unless you want to leave a few hundred yen for his services. I don't think he would take too kindly to that, though. He might be insulted if you did something so crass as to tip him as if he were a servant."

Kentaro was outmatched, but not willing to give up the fight. He played his trump card. "Why are you defending such a man? Are you in love with him or something?"

A collective gasp from the crowd fell on two pairs of deaf ears. Su felt as if she were in some drama theater and wished she had some popcorn to eat. Shinobu continued to glance back and forth between the drama unfolding before her and Jake outside, who seemed to remain oblivious to the goings-on.

Motoko was utterly furious before, but was pensive after hearing Kentaro's accusation. Mutsumi wanted to scream out how cute the two were when they fought, but thought it better to save it for when the two made up. Naru and Keitaro shook their heads, disgusted with how a look outside could turn into a fight over another man.

Kitsune's expression did not change, however. She expected this gambit. She even had a retort ready for this very situation. She stood up, turned to Kentaro, spoke one word to him, and walked away, joining Jake outside.

The others were left trying to gather whatever was left of their jaws, Kentaro hardly the least of them. The silence was louder than a bombing siren until the front door slid open and shut. Kentaro blinked from his daze and finally noticed the other girls and Keitaro similarly slack-jawed at the situation. His senses finally returned sufficiently to blurt out, "What are you all staring at?"

Nervous laughs came from the audience, before they all bolted out at once after Kitsune. Kentaro, left alone with his thoughts, leaned back in the sofa, asking himself if what his girlfriend had said was true. "Maybe?" Puzzled, he looked in the direction of the door leading outside. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?

Jake was whistling away his worries when the door slid open and a ray of sunshine emerged from the portal. "Hey, Jake. Need a hand with anything?" Kitsune asked, wearing her customary carefree smile.

Jake caught himself staring at her; he missed that smile. "Y-yeah, actually. I need a hand getting everything set out. You mind?"

Kitsune shook her head. "I would be more than happy to help you," she said silkily. As she passed around him, Jake could have sworn he felt her hand slide across his lower back. The tingle from her touch spread through the rest of his body, the jolt to his nervous system causing him to shiver slightly. Kitsune noticed this and leaned toward him, placing her hand on his arm. "Is something wrong, Jake?"

Jake quickly assessed the situation. "_She's never been like this with me before. Is she flirting with me?_" Unable to reach a conclusion with his imagination wandering at the warmth of her touch, Jake replied perhaps too quickly, "No, nothing at all, thanks. I appreciate your help."

The front door swung open no more within that instant, and the others, sans Kentaro, filed through the portal, Keitaro pulling the door shut behind him after he stepped out. Jake was at a complete loss as to why they were all suddenly standing there, but he became aware that Kitsune had removed her hand from his arm when the door opened.

"What's going on everyone?" Jake asked. "You all sure came outside really fast.

Mutsumi was the first to reply. "Ara, ara," she giggled nervously.

"Something funny?" Jake asked the turtle-lady.

Motoko opened her mouth to speak, but Naru cut her off. "Oh, nothing, just a little joke."

"Is Kentaro still in there?"

Su caught a whiff of the nearly finished meat and jumped on Jake's back, nearly knocking him into the grill. "HOT!" Jake shrieked.

Su laughed at Jake without a care in the world. "It smells SO good, Jake! Is it almost ready?" Su began to drool all over her manager's shoulder.

"Yes it is, Su. Mind letting go before I hip toss you into the grill?"

Su climbed down from Jake while he stood as still as possible. Forgetting about the strangely sensual situation with Kitsune, he noticed the meat was about finished. "Okay, everyone, grab a plate, line up and tell me what you want."

"I'm going to pass, since my date was planning on taking me out somewhere," Shinobu declined. She pulled her cell phone from her pocket, flipped the top open and gasped at what she saw. "Oh, no, I'm going to be late. See you later, everyone!"

There was barely time for farewells and good lucks for the shorthaired high school student before she vanished from sight down the stairs in a full sprint.

Everyone grabbed plates and lined up before Jake and the table holding all of the buns, condiments and other assorted food items. Kentaro finally emerged while Jake was serving Kitsune, and he immediately felt Kitsune's attitude change. She practically clung to him, pressing her chest into him while gushing thanks over him.

Jake saw that Kentaro was getting red in the face and he pried Kitsune off of himself, carefully trying to not touch her inappropriately. "What are you doing?" he asked, fully aware that his face was likely as red as molten rock.

"What's the matter?" Kitsune asked, coyly tracing across Jake's chest with her finger. "I'm just trying to properly thank you for all your hard work." She lightly smacked his cheek with her hand and walked away.

"_What the hell is going on here?_" Jake wondered. He noticed Kitsune glaring at Kentaro as she passed right by him without uttering a single word to him. Suddenly, it all made sense.

Naru was next in line, and she saw it as well. She just glanced downward, shaking her head to herself. "They're fighting." Jake stated as he loaded her plate absentmindedly.

"You could say that," Naru answered

Jake harrumphed to himself and smiled at Naru when she thanked him. "You women sure are dangerous."

"And don't you forget it," Naru replied with a wink.

Kentaro never got in line. He just stood near the door with his arms folded over his chest. Jake motioned him over to him, and Kentaro approached him with a sneer on his face. They stared each other down for a moment before Jake broke the psychological struggle. He held up a plate with what was left of the cooked meat and asked, "Like a plate?"

Kentaro hardly expected Jake to be courteous to him, much less compassionate. His expression softened as he replied, "Please."

While Jake transferred some food to another clean plate, he muttered, "What are you two fighting about, anyway?"

Kentaro raised an eyebrow at Jake. "Who?"

Jake blinked at the man standing before him trying to play the fool. "You two, obviously."

"That's none of your business, thank you very much," Kentaro simpered.

Jake ignored his plea. "Just apologize to her. She's the type that will never forgive you if you don't."

"What do you know about her that I don't?"

"I know what I saw, and she looked pissed off."

"Why should I apologize? She's the one being absurd." Kentaro mentally slapped himself. He knew in his heart that he was in the wrong, but his pride was simply too great. "Why am I talking to you about this anyway?"

Jake sighed, looked Kentaro in the eye, and said, "Because you don't want to go to sleep tonight being angry with each other. One of you may not wake up in the morning. Is that what you want?"

Kentaro shook his head. "No."

Jake shoved Kentaro's plate into his hands. "Then get over there and say you're sorry."

Kentaro flatly thanked Jake and turned without another word. He was completely humbled by the very person he just accused of being an ignorant foreigner no more than fifteen minutes ago; by the very same person that just showed more insight to women than he ever read in any book.

Jake smiled inwardly as Kentaro disappeared back into the common room at a job well done. "There's my good deed for the day," he said to himself. He quickly cleaned up the vicinity before reentering the building. He noticed Kitsune and Kentaro in the corner, silently conversing with each other and they quickly slipped out of the room to the dining area trying to appear unnoticed.

As Jake sat down with the others, Keitaro asked between bites, "What did you say to him, Jake?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing much. Why?"

Mutsumi swallowed and responded, "He just came back in with this depressed look on his face and asked Kitsune to talk to him privately. That's not like him at all."

Jake nodded sagely. "Yeah, I figured he screwed up. What happened anyway?"

Naru quickly tried to change the subject. "Wow! This is really good, Jake! You should do this more often! Right, everyone?"

They all nodded and muttered their approvals through full mouths. The ruse worked. "Yeah, that sounds like it could be fun. My family used to do this kind of thing every month: get together, have a barbeque, reconnect."

Keitaro chimed in, "Yeah, one time Jake invited Seta and I to meet his family. They were really nice people."

"Though my aunt didn't take to kindly to Seta trying to dig up her garden looking for some Native American ruins, as I recall," Jake added with a laugh.

Jake nodded as Kitsune and Kentaro returned to the room, hand in hand.

Mutsumi noticed the pair, glanced down at their interlaced fingers and asked, "Ara, you two make up already?"

Kitsune released Kentaro's hand and pointed a finger in Jake's direction. Kentaro complied with a somber nod of his head, and everyone stared at him in silence as he sullenly approached the American. He stood in front of him, his body shaking as if caught in some internal struggle. At last, he fell to his knees, burying his head into the ground. "I'M SO SORRY, JAKE-SAMA!" Kentaro belted out, prostrated.

Jake nearly jumped out of his chair and glanced around the table, seeing everyone on the edge of bursting out laughing, including Kitsune, who was holding a hand over her mouth to keep from screaming out loud with a hoarse laugh. He had obviously missed something, but had no idea what. Sparing Kentaro further embarrassment, Jake tapped him on the shoulder with a fair amount of consternation and said, "It's okay," without even asking why the man weeping at his feet was apologizing in the first place.

Kentaro sprang to his feet and bowed furiously and repeatedly, screaming, "THANK YOU VERY MUCH, JAKE-SAMA! THANK YOU VERY MUCH!"

As Jake tried to calm Kentaro down, Kitsune sat next to Motoko, who leaned over to and whispered to her, "That was certainly better than my idea."

Kitsune snickered softly and grinned fiendishly. "Don't think I didn't entertain the idea for a little while."

Jake finally settled Kentaro down and the party finally started. As stories were told and more than a fair amount of alcohol was consumed, Jake could not help but reminisce about home, his friends and family, especially his mother. She would have loved to meet his newfound friends, even if she could not understand a single word they said. He smiled inwardly as he imagined her saying, "They are a strange sort, but they certainly are nice people. I'm glad for you, son."

Later in the evening, Shinobu returned home to hoots, hollers and catcalls from the drunken crew just in time for Su to begin singing her favorite song on the karaoke machine. Kentaro even let down his guard, albeit not without a healthy amount of alcohol in his system; enough to embarrass himself by singing Bette Midler's "The Rose" in falsetto, much to everyone's delight.

One by one, like a stack of dominoes, everyone began to fall asleep, or to be more accurate, pass out, either from exhaustion or alcohol consumption. Jake was the last one standing at the end after Keitaro finally slumped over, falling asleep with his head resting on Naru's belly. She was one of the first to drop, and she was out light a light. Nothing short of slapping her across the face would rouse her.

"Victory is mine," Jake slurred, raising his hand in his meaningless victory. He wearily glanced around at the carnage around the room. Empty beverage and snack containers were strewn about, as still as the people lying with them. His work was cut out for him tomorrow.

He yawned and stretched, sitting on the one open seat left in the common room, rubbing his eyes with the palms of his hands. His eyes wandered over to Kentaro and Kitsune. Kentaro was on his back and Kitsune was curled up on him, her head resting against his chest, moving up and down rhythmically with his evenly paced breathing.

Jake stared blankly at the couple for a moment as a sudden feeling of déjà vu came over him. It was a rather eerie feeling, and yet he could not take his eyes off of them. Shinobu's sleeping form rolled over next to Jake on the sofa, taking his mind off Kitsune and Kentaro for a moment. He had to quickly move off the sofa as Shinobu stretched her legs out on the sofa, taking up the space he had just occupied.

Jake considered just going to his room, but the staircase leading to the second floor loomed taller than a Himalayan peak. He quietly murmured a curse under his breath, concluding the floor was as good a place as any to lie. He brushed away the debris in front of him and slowly lowered himself stomach first onto the area rug, using his arms as a pillow to support his head.

He looked to either side of himself to make sure no one would kick him in the head while he slept. Su was to his right, roughly feet away, so he scooted over the other direction to avoid any thrashings her sleeping patterns might incur. When he was confident he was out of her radius, he glanced the other way, and saw he was only several feet away from Kitsune and Kentaro. Her back was to him, and he found it unlikely that she would roll over onto him, so he remained in place. However, he did not mind relishing the thought of her using him as a pillow as opposed to Kentaro.

His eyes remained peeled open, unable to shake the overwhelming familiarity of the sight of the couple. It even _felt_ familiar, as if he was experiencing all the sensations himself. The warmth of her breath on his naked skin, the sweet perfume of her hair, her fingers tracing three simple words onto his chest. The taste of her lips.

After a single moment of clarity, a powerful wave of emotion swept over him. Tears fell from his eyes unabated. It was not déjà vu. He was recalling the deepest wound in his heart. His last moment with the one he loved most in the world. The one that was snatched away in the blink of an eye.

Feeling as vulnerable as he did on that fateful day, the man wept silent, bitter tears from a reservoir he had thought long been dried.

* * *

A/N: You know, it really sucks when you have the ambition to get something done and the universe works its evil magic to bend you to its will. I had originally meant to have this particular chapter finished and released several weeks ago, but with a bout of personal and professional crises striking in unison, my best laid plans were all for naught. Oh, well, all's well that end's well, I suppose. Hope you enjoyed the latest chapter. With any luck, the next will drop sooner than this one did.

Again, thanks to Mike aka Lunar Knite for proofreading.


	14. Anger

Love's Redemption: Anger

A sudden crescendo of sound awoke Jake with a start. He opened his eyes, but ended up quickly shutting them against the brightness of the sun shining relentlessly through any orifice in the building it could find. He covered his eyes with his hand and groaned. His head was pounding, as if two pygmies were jumping around inside his skull like children in a playpen. The unyielding piercing sound coming from several cicadas outside did nothing to help his mood.

Craning his neck to look around and see if the other tenants were still sprawled out all over the room, the source of his crippling headache reared its…head. A crushing pain swept through the left side of his neck, causing him to gasp audibly. He had experienced stiff necks in the past, obviously, but this was truly a horse of a different color. He could not move it in either direction without feeling like a knife was stabbed and twisted into it.

It took him several attempts, but he at last managed to rise to his feet. Turning on his heels to look around, he noticed he was the last to wake, alone in the great room. He shuffled gingerly into the dining area, where several of the other tenants, most of them looking just as weary as he, were already sitting.

Su yelled good morning at Jake, who winced in obvious pain. "Su, would you mind keeping it to a dull roar, please? My head is really killing me right now."

"Sorry, Jake. I'm just so excited about showing you my new invention today!"

Jake lowered slowly into his unofficially assigned chair, still trying to rub the pain out of his neck and head. "Oh, crap. I totally forgot about that."

Keitaro asked, "Sleep in a bad position, Jake?"

"More or less. It seemed like a good idea at the time."

Naru chuckled at Jake's response. "I know the feeling. I woke up in all sorts of funny positions after trying to pull all-nighters leading up to exams."

"Where is everyone else?" Jake asked, noticing there was faces unaccounted for.

As if on cue, Mutsumi entered the room with a cheerful good morning and a wave. Her motherly senses triggered when she took one glance in Jake's direction. "What's wrong, Jake?"

Motoko, sitting in repose as she normally did at that time of the morning, replied, "It seems to be a headache caused by a pinched nerve in his neck, Otohime-san."

Quite astute, Motoko, Jake thought.

Mutsumi immediately skittered over to Jake, coming to a stop behind him. She tenderly placed a hand on his shoulder and asked him where it hurt. "Somewhere in the left side of my neck. It's making my head pound like there's a heavy metal concert going on in my brain."

Nodding sagely, Mutsumi placed her other hand on Jake's neck and began to roughly massage it. Jake jumped forward in surprise, causing another wave of pain to shoot through his temple. He cried out in agony, clutching his head with his hands. Mutsumi rubbed his back lovingly. "You can't move around like that," she said with a motherly tone, "you'll just make it worse."

"Sorry, you just startled me is all," Jake replied.

"Just relax and let onee-chan take care of you, alright?" Mutsumi cooed, sending a shiver down Jake's spine. Though whether it was from the implication of her words or the cold stares Jake was receiving at the moment, he had no idea.

Jake closed his eyes, deciding to let Mutsumi try to help. What else was he going to do other than sit there all day in pain? Her touch felt fantastic; her grip was firm, yet somehow gentle. He closed his eyes to ward off the frigid eyes of his counterparts, particularly from that of Motoko. "Have Kitsune and Kentaro left, already?" he asked, trying to deflect some of the table's attention.

"They left early this morning. Had some things to take care of I guess," Keitaro answered. "Why do you ask?"

"No particular reason. I didn't see them when I woke up."

Keitaro watched as Jake visibly relaxed. His shoulders slumped, his jaw dropped, and he closed his eyes again. There was no doubting it now. To the untrained eye, one might have thought Jake was more relaxed due to Mutsumi's ministration. But Keitaro knew better. After all, he did the same thing with Naru all the time before they got together: wondering where she was in certain situations, hoping she wasn't there to see it. He wondered idly if he used to look so ridiculously obvious.

Jake began to lose himself in the relief Mutsumi was providing. His headache seemed manageable at that point if not nonexistent, and he felt more relaxed then he could recall in recent days. Until Mutsumi pressed down hard with her fist onto a particularly painful pressure point, causing him to hiss and grunt in pain.

"Right there?" Mutsumi asked, pressing into the pressure point with a thumb.

"Ouch! Ouch! Yes!" To Jake's horror, instead of moving away from the painful spot, Mutsumi dug into it even deeper, adjusting positions to drive her entire elbow into his left trapezius. Jake had to bite down hard to keep from tearing up

Shinobu waltzed in with the table settings and shrieked at the sight of Mutsumi trying to bury her arm into Jake's shoulder. "Auu, Otohime-sempai is killing Jake!"

Jake tried to laugh out loud, but each motion sent another wave of pain through his shoulder and down his arm.

"It's okay, Shinobu-chan," Keitaro assured the girl, "I'm sure Mutsumi-san knows what she is doing…right?" Keitaro's "reassurance" did nothing to comfort Jake, who felt like his arm was being put through a wood chipper.

Just when Jake felt he was going to pass out from the pain, Mutsumi whispered into Jake's ear, "Alright, now don't move." Without removing her elbow, she shoved her other hand into position underneath her elbow. With a flick of her wrist, Jake felt something in his neck and shoulder pop, and his excruciating pain was instantly lifted.

The onlookers winced in unison at the sound of what they assumed was crunching bone.

"Better?" Mutsumi asked, lightly kneading his neck between her thumbs and forefingers.

Jake moved his shoulder and neck around, noticing there was no pain at all. "Yeah," he said, bewildered. "That was amazing! How did you do that?"

"Well, my mom used to always get these really bad headaches when she woke up in the morning. She always had me rub her neck and shoulders, and if I sat there too long, I would pass out on her. Eventually, I found that there were always knots in the muscles that cause these bad headaches. So I came up with this technique."

"That's awesome!" Su exclaimed. The others nodded in agreement.

Jake squinted slightly. He still felt pain somewhere in his neck, but he couldn't quite tell exactly where it was coming from. He relayed this information to his "therapist". Mutsumi told him to relax his shoulders, then placed her hands on the sides of his head and began rolling it in clockwise circles. After a few moments, she reversed direction to a counter-clockwise motion.

Confident Jake's neck was sufficiently loosened, Mutsumi moved her hands: one to Jake's chin, the other to the crown of his head. With one sharp motion, she twisted Jake's head to the left, and the vertebrae in his neck popped with several sickening cracks. There was a collective gasp followed immediately by the sound of several plates breaking near the door to the kitchen.

Standing over the broken plates was Shinobu, her eyes nearly bulging out of her head, with her hands covering her mouth, completely oblivious to the destruction at her feet. "Otohime-sempai! You killed Jake!" the blue-haired girl squeaked.

The young teenager failed to notice Jake lift his head, exhaling a sigh of extreme relief. A crooked grin was painted onto his face, and his eyes were glazed over, as if he were enraptured by some unearthly bliss.

"Better now?" Mutsumi asked. The question might as well have been rhetorical. Jake nodded stupidly, his face still a countenance of unadulterated pleasure.

"I don't think he's quite come back down to Earth yet, Otohime-san," Motoko said, equally amused and concerned with Jake's current disposition.

Mutsumi giggled. "My mom did the same thing the first time I did that to her. He should come back in a few minutes. Ara ara, Shinobu-chan dropped the plates."

While everyone helped clean up the mess of busted china littering the area of the dining room, Jake sat unmoving. However, as everyone settled back into their seats around him, the side of his mouth began to twitch, and the color slowly returned to his eyes. Everyone stared at him in amusement as he returned to earth.

Jake suddenly gasped, sucking in air as if he had been trapped underwater for several minutes. He panted for a minute as he regained his composure. He stopped once he noticed everyone stared at him like he had a huge spider crawling across his face. "What are you all staring at? What happened? Where am I now?"

Mutsumi laughed softly. "How is your head feeling now, Ja-kun?"

"I feel great, but what did you do to me?"

Mutsumi explained what she had done and the side effect of her unique technique.

"You're amazing, Mutsumi-san," Keitaro praised the Okinawan.

Naru reached out and love tapped Keitaro on the arm. "Why don't you ever compliment me like that?" she grumbled.

While Keitaro attended to the fire he just started, Jake turned his attention back to his savior. "Marry me, Otohime-san, and make me the luckiest man on Earth," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Unfortunately, he had forgotten that sarcasm did not translate well to Japanese.

"Really?" Mutsumi asked, clasping her hands together and gazing fondly at Jake.

Jake, oblivious to his mistake, figured Mutsumi was simply playing along with his joke. He nodded dumbly with a toothy grin.

Mutsumi grasped one of Jake's hands, her eyes lighting up like Christmas trees. "You really mean it?"

Without thinking, Jake nodded again. Mutsumi jumped to her feet, pulling Jake to his, and screamed "We're getting married, everyone!"

Naru froze in mid-swing of launching Keitaro through the nearest wall. Keitaro peeked out from under his arms covering his face. Motoko lowered her book with a wide-eyed stare. Su glanced back and forth between Jake and Mutsumi, smiling widely all the while. And Shinobu, who had just reentered the room with more plates, nearly dropped those as well.

"Wait, what?" Jake spluttered, quickly drawing his hand back from Mutsumi.

"We have so much to do! Oh, I'm so excited! When are we getting married? Where will the reception be? Aww, this is…too…" Mutsumi's voice wavered, and she would have collapsed had Jake not caught the falling woman and lowered her gently down into her seat.

Jake began to laugh, but when he looked up to see a sword pointed directly between his eyes, he jumped back, yelping in surprise. "What the hell?"

"You lascivious bastard!" Motoko proclaimed, firmly holding the hilt of her blade with both hands, its business end pointed directly at Jake's throat. "You will pay for tainting this pure woman's heart!"

Jake tried in vain to protest, throwing his hands in front of him, making a timeout sign. "Whoa, whoa, hold on a minute. I was just…" he began, but Motoko cut him off.

"SILENCE, you miserable womanizer!" Motoko barked. She strode toward Jake, still holding her blade out towards his throat. Jake backpedaled furiously, knocking over a chair in the process as everyone at the table scattered.

"Motoko-chan, you've got the wrong idea here. I wasn't…"

"A duel, sir," Motoko cut in once more, spitting out the last word in her sentence as if it were something vile. "I challenge you. And you will refer to me as Aoyama-sama from here on, you perverted slime."

Jake was backed into a corner, both literally and figuratively. Su was cheering Motoko on. Shinobu was waving her arms around like a bird, unsure of what to do. Keitaro shook his head. There was no reasoning with Motoko now. Naru sweatdropped. Mutsumi lay in her chair like a slug, snoring softly.

"Or are you afraid to be beaten by a younger, smaller girl?" Motoko asked with a confident smirk.

Something within Jake snapped. Visibly. Keitaro muttered, "Oh no," turning away from the scene. He couldn't stand to watch what was surely coming.

With a menacing glare, Jake accepted the challenge. "You're on."

All of the others cheered, except for Keitaro, who threw his arms up in defeated frustration, and Mutsumi, who still lay in her seat, out cold. Keitaro looked up at the ceiling and whispered "Why me?"

"To the roof!" Su exclaimed. As if shot out of a cannon, the foreigner dashed out to the hallway, followed closely behind by Shinobu. Naru pulled Keitaro out of the room as he whispered a silent prayer to whichever god might listen to his plight. Motoko lowered her blade and motioned Jake toward the door.

"Ladies first," Jake said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Age before beauty," Motoko riposted without skipping a beat.

Jake snorted derisively before cocking an evil grin in Motoko's direction. "Since when did you ever think you were cute?" As he stepped towards the door, he muttered softly enough for only Motoko to hear, "You have no idea who you are fooling with."

"We'll see, gaijin," Motoko replied, following him out of the room.

* * *

Several minutes later, Mutsumi finally regained consciousness, blinking several times and gazing quickly about the room. She chuckled, scratching the back of her head. "I wonder if they figured out I was joking?" she asked aloud, though no one was there to hear.

An explosion from above rocked Mutsumi about in her seat. "I did it again didn't I?"

* * *

The two opponents squared off on opposite sides of the deck, their fiery stares likely able to bore holes through concrete. Each stood at attention, bowing ever so slightly to each other. It was more to show respect for the art form than to each other.

Their auras of disdain were apparent even to their audience. Naru and Shinobu were seated in their normal positions, while Keitaro stood behind them, looking as nervous as a turkey on Thanksgiving Day.

Su was standing between the two opponents. She raised a hand apprehensively, wondering if she would have the time to retreat before they clashed. She could have sworn she felt heat washing from the two as they stood opposite each other, crashing into the middle where she stood. She wiped the sweat beginning to bead at her forehead with her long-sleeved to be certain she could get out of the way, she took a full step backward. "Ready?" she asked, looking back and forth between the two adversaries.

Motoko assumed a battle ready stance, drawing her shinai towards her body as if pulling on the string of a hunter's bow. Jake followed by stepping into a guarded stance. However, he still held his weapon towards the ground. A stiff, cool sea breeze passed through the area, ruffling Motoko's gi and hair, making her appear even more menacing than before. Jake exhaled slowly, letting all the air empty from his lungs as he waited for the signal.

"GO!" Su yelled, dropping her hand. She jumped backwards immediately, and not a moment too soon, either. Displaying incredible speed, Motoko dashed at Jake, the wind kicked up in her wake spinning Su around like a ballerina as she passed. Jake saw the attack coming it seemed from a mile away and raised his weapon in plenty of time to deflect Motoko's hard overhand cross slash.

Motoko was unfazed by the Jake's nonchalant expression he wore in defending against her first blow. She pressed on, using sharp, strong strikes to try to push Jake backward. He stood strong, however, deflecting each blow with masterful timing.

It was not as if Jake was not impressed with Motoko's skill. In fact, it was quite the contrary. Her attacks were flawless, her form graceful. Each swing of her weapon was aimed at a vital point. She was seeking to end the fight quickly. However, no amount of raw skill could compensate for the lack of strength and speed behind her attacks.

The audience seemed to be strongly in favor of Motoko, since she was pressing offensively. Keitaro paced behind the other girls as they cheered raucously for the kendo-ka, his face painted over with pure, unadulterated doom. He could see with his well-trained eyes that Jake had an obvious advantage over the slower, weaker Shinmeiryu swordswoman.

Keitaro could only pray Jake would come to his senses and not completely destroy Motoko. He once witnessed Jake get into a brawl with a group of five troublemakers who called him a chicken. They called him every name in the book before then, and he did not react until they called him a coward. Keitaro learned from that experience after taking Jake to the emergency room with a broken nose and a concussion that Jake would never stand for someone calling him less than a man, even if it cost him a beat-down.

Motoko became slightly flustered as her futile attacks continued to miss their mark. If she did not know better, she might have thought she was being toyed with, but she could did not detect any superior strength in Jake. Despite that, Jake continued to parry her attacks easily, and had yet to counter. At least, not until he murmured quietly, "Is this all you've got? I guess it's my turn, then."

Motoko's next attack was turned away with a force Jake had not yet shown. Knocked off balance, she desperately tried to pull herself back into a defensive posture. She barely had time to yank her shinai to parry Jake's thrust at her waist. The attack grazed her along her hip as she lacked the strength to completely turn aside the strike.

"Whoa!" Su exclaimed.

"What a counter!" Naru followed.

"What just happened?" Shinobu asked

Motoko winced at the burning pain in her hip as Jake relentlessly beat her backwards, pushing her towards the edge of the patio. The tide had definitely turned, and Motoko frantically needed to retreat from the melee. She waited for a slight opening and leapt over Jake's head, flipping end over end until she landed across from him on the opposite side of the deck.

Panting quietly, trying to hide her exhaustion, Motoko quipped, "You're a lot better than I would have given you credit for. However, I wonder if you have the guts or the skill to defend against my next attack?"

Jake raised his shinai to rest it on his shoulder and smirked at his opponent's question. "I can take anything you can throw at me, little girl." With his off hand, Jake motioned Motoko towards himself, taunting her.

"So be it then. You asked for it," Motoko replied flatly. She held her weapon in front of her and closed her eyes. She focused on gathering her chi into her arms, and air began to swirl around her weapon.

Jake raised an eyebrow. "What the? Hey, that's cheating isn't it?"

Keitaro, aware of what Motoko was doing, grabbed Shinobu and Su, pulling them away from the range of the coming blast of energy. The wind surrounding Motoko's shinai increased in speed and force until it appeared she wielded a tempest in her hands.

Motoko snapped her eyes open, and the wind dissipated instantly. In its place was an azure aura that shimmered and pulsated around the weapon in her hands. "Shinmeiryu ougi," she incanted, stepping backward with her right leg and raising her weapon over her head.

"This is it," Su squealed.

"It's all over now," Shinobu added.

"ZANGANKEN," Motoko roared, swinging her weapon downward as hard as she could while mentally releasing the chi stored in her weapon. The volley of raw energy rocketed towards Jake, who dumbly stood in its path in shock and awe.

The instant before the Rock Cutting Blade was upon him, Jake snapped back into focus and realized his predicament. Unable to dodge the attack, he raised his shinai parallel to the ground and used his offhand to brace it against the oncoming blast. The ensuing explosion rocked the deck underneath everyone's feet and a cloud of dust and smoke billowed around Jake, shielding him from everyone's view.

"He's boned," Naru concluded. Su and Shinobu nodded, while Keitaro wiped sweat from his brow, silently hoping Naru was right.

Motoko stood out of her fighting stance, certain of her victory. Shinobu approached Motoko first and, glancing in the direction of the smoke cloud, asked, "You didn't hurt him too bad, did you Motoko-sempai?"

Motoko harrumphed in response. "It's his own fault for standing there like an idiot. He deserves whatever pain he is in right now."

Su glanced in Jake's direction and did a double take when she saw his silhouette appear from the slowly dissipating cloud. "Amazing! He's still standing!"

"Wha?" Motoko asked, whirling around to see for herself. She could only gasp in surprise, sure that her eyes were lying to her.

Jake stood still as stone, his weapon still raised in a defensive position. He was breathing heavily, with beads of sweat rolling down his brow. His arms were bruised and burnt, and the hand used to brace his weapon against the force of the attack was bleeding from a decent sized cut in its palm. A pair of skid marks from Jake's black-soled sneakers extended three feet across the well-polished wooden floor to where Jake currently stood on the precipice of falling into the river below the inn.

"What was that?" Jake asked, his voice booming with rage. He released his stance and walked through the dispersing cloud. "I just told you I would take anything you could throw at me. Did you think you could win with just that?" He approached Motoko, whirling his shinai around in his uninjured hand. "You had best stand back, Shinobu. This fight is far from over."

When the blue-haired teen complied with his request, Jake lunged towards Motoko, restarting the fight.

* * *

Kitsune hummed a random tune as she climbed the long stairway to Hinata Sou carrying a large brown bag containing several bottles of liquor that clanged together with each step she took. Her quiet, cheery mood was broken by the echoing sound of an artillery-type explosion coming from the roof area of the inn. "Poor Keitaro," she mused aloud, continuing on her way up the never-ending stone steps. "That Motoko sure doesn't pull any punches."

As she reached the top of the stairs, Kitsune noticed the smoke and dust rising from the source of the explosion, but she could not see the combat taking place from her vantage point. "I wonder if it's over already." As she got closer, however, she began to hear the sounds of sparring weapons slapping together and the accompanying voices of combat.

Kitsune broke into a run, holding the bag of liquor as steady as possible as to keep the bottles from breaking inside the bag. "Damn it. I'm missing it," she cursed. Reaching the front door, she steadied the bag on one knee as she used the other to throw the portal open. As she entered the common area, Mutsumi stumbled through the door from the dining room.

"Ara, Kitsune-san! Welcome back!" Mutsumi greeted her elder, bowing politely.

"Ah, the Turtle Lady!" Kitsune replied, kicking the door shut behind her with one foot.

"Why aren't you on the roof with the others? You're gonna miss Keitaro getting his ass whooped again."

"I don't think it is Keitaro this time," Mutsumi replied with a nervous laugh, scratching idly at her cheek with her index finger.

"Huh?"

"Well," Mutsumi began, poking her fingers together and trying desperately to keep her entire face from coloring over, "to make a long story short I sort of made a pretty bad joke about Jake and myself."

Kitsune blinked, still at a loss. Mutsumi continued, "I said something like we were getting married before I passed out, I think."

"WHAT?" Kitsune spluttered, nearly loosening her grip on her bag. Fumbling and tripping her way to the table in the middle of the room, she finally set the bag down.

"I'm just guessing here, but I suppose Motoko didn't really get the joke," Mutsumi said, clutching at her head, trying to get a grasp on the situation in which she was directly responsible.

Kitsune placed a hand on her chin in an inquisitive gesture. "It stands to reason, knowing how serious she is about things…so does that mean Jake is the one up there fighting with Motoko?"

Mutsumi nodded her head in shame.

"I'm not missing this for the world!" Kitsune squealed in delight. "Let's go!" She grabbed Mutsumi by the wrist and dashed up the stairs, dragging her longhaired counterpart along, willing or not.

* * *

Motoko hastily backpedaled from Jake's furious attack, unable to focus on anything other than defense. The force of Jake's blows, much more powerful than before, was causing her to lose feeling in her hands, and her shoulders were burning from trying to keep up with the furious pace. She began to panic, realizing her defeat was near. _"How is he so strong? Is Seta such a great teacher that merely training with him makes one this powerful?"_

There was little time for Motoko to ponder over her questions as she was forced to duck underneath a thrust aimed directly at her head. Her defense melted away like ice under the summer sun, leaving her wide open to any number of attacks. However, it seemed to her that Jake either did not see the openings, or was simply not taking advantage of them. She felt his shinai pass through her porous defense several times, only to stop just short of striking her flesh. Several of the attacks passed right by her face, leaving Motoko bewildered as to how the fight continued to drag along.

Over the din of the cheering girls, Keitaro wondered aloud, "What the hell are you doing, Jake?" He could see that Jake had Motoko badly beaten, and he could snatch his victory whenever he pleased. There was no way he was accidentally missing with his attacks. They were more like precision warning strikes, like firing a warning shot over a ship's bow.

Kitsune and Mutsumi finally arrived on the roof, panting heavily from the exertion. They immediately noticed Jake and Motoko locked in fierce combat, and it seemed Jake had his opponent on her heels. "Oh good. It's not over yet," Kitsune said cheerfully as Mutsumi joined the other girls, clapping along and cheering on the two fighters.

Kitsune saw Keitaro watching the combat intently, and moved next to him. "Correct me if I'm wrong here, but it looks like he's winning," Kitsune said matter-of-factly.

Keitaro jumped sideways in surprise. "Ah, Kitsune-san. Where did you come from?" He was so intently focused on the match he failed to notice the woman standing directly beside him.

"The stairs, of course. I just got back from the store."

"Oh, okay then."

"You looked like you were in your own little world there for a moment. You taking notes?"

"What do you mean, Kitsune-san?"

"I mean to beat Motoko. Whatever Jake is doing seems to be working."

Keitaro silently groaned, feeling the Devil add yet another weight to the lie lying across his shoulders. "Yeah, I guess so."

Kitsune decided to leave Keitaro to his melancholy mood. She wanted a closer look at the fight, anyhow. She nudged Naru, motioning for her to scoot over so she could sit. "Su-chan! Any action on this fight?"

"Sorry," Su replied mock-sagely, "the betting table is now closed on this duel."

Kitsune snapped her fingers. "Darn it. Oh well, I have a better idea, anyway." An impish grin crossed the woman's face.

Jake continued to pummel Motoko with a flurry of strikes and slashes that he knew she could not keep up with. He had just begun to break a sweat while she labored for air, her face drenched in sweat…and tears.

"_You've got to promise me…"_

"_She's only happy when she's practicing kendo…"_

"_She's a great girl once you get past her defense mechanisms…"_

Seeing the tears streaking down Motoko's face, Jake suddenly wondered what the hell he was doing. The malice and fury inside him weakened, thus decreasing the force of his strikes. He loosened himself to match a speed Motoko could keep up with until he could devise a way to lose to her smoothly.

Motoko, fighting against the burning sensation in her eyes, noticed Jake was slowing down, his attacks no longer striking her shinai with such a terrible force that each clash caused her hands to ache down to their bones. Subconsciously, she tapped into her innate ability to sense chi patterns. Jake's aura faded from the fiery red of hatred and loathing to the cool azure of friendship and love. "What?" Motoko asked aloud.

"I keep my promises," Jake confessed, slowing down even further, allowing Motoko enough headway to launch a counterattack.

"Check it out!" Su exclaimed. "Motoko is making a comeback!"

"Huh?" Keitaro muttered, glancing back at the melee once again. Motoko was pushing Jake backward. It was obvious to him, but not the others, that Jake must have allowed this to happen. A smile crossed over his face, and he knew that he was going to owe Jake for throwing the fight.

Trying to make it look good, Jake traded attacks with Motoko for a few moments, pushing her back then allowing her to counter. He began to find the idea of sparring with the Shinmeiryu heiress enjoyable, noticing her attacks became more crisp as she gained in confidence.

The moment of truth came when Kitsune belted out of nowhere, "Jake, if you win I'll let you grope me!"

The crowd fell silent, Jake's focus…broken. He stupidly removed his vision from the fight, gawking at Kitsune, as did everyone else. Except for one person. Motoko rushed in and rapped Jake's hands with her weapon, knocking the shinai out of his grip. She then spun around, lashing at the side of his head, hitting him hard across the ear. Her shinai made a horrible thwacking sound as it connected with its target.

The audience winced and made a collective "ooh" sound. Jake stumbled to the side from the force of the blow, but remained standing, stumbling about as everyone watched him as still as stone. He wobbled about as the fluid in his inner ear splashed about like a wave pool at a water park, sending his equilibrium into chaos.

"My bad," Kitsune said, but the damage had already been done.

Jake's head felt like a bomb exploded inside of it. He looked at Motoko, who was staring back at him in bewilderment, and saw three images of the swordswoman in front of him. "Whoa, cool," he said, sounding like he had just finished off a bowl of hashish.

Everyone stood fast as Jake continued to wobble around. "Mercy, Aoyama-sama. I yield. I think I'm going to go ahead and sit down now." He then promptly tipped forward and landed face first on the floor with a healthy thud.

Everyone remained still for a moment, staring blankly at Jake's prone form. Eventually, all eyes made their way to Motoko, who feigned a smile back in their direction. "Um, oops?"

Kitsune stood first and shuffled over towards Jake, putting a hand on his back to make sure he was still breathing at the very least. "Are you all going to just stand there like a bunch of imbeciles, or are you going to help me get him back inside?"

Kitsune's demand for help snapped the others back to reality. Motoko, feeling a little guilty for smashing Jake's face in, helped Kitsune turn Jake over as the rest rushed to his side. There were gasps all around as they immediately noticed a welt forming on the side of his head, and his pupils swirled around like two vortices.

"Geez, Motoko-chan, did you really have to hit him as hard as you could?" Naru asked.

"It was reflex. Gomen nasai, Naru-sempai," Motoko apologized, bowing her head in shame.

"Don't apologize to me! He's the one with the cracked skull."

"But I didn't expect him to drop his guard like that."

"Never mind all that for now. Just help me get him up and inside," Kitsune barked. She might have apologized as well, considering she was also partially at fault. But there were more important matters to attend to at the moment. There would be plenty of time to do that later.

"I'll get the first aid kit," Shinobu offered, dashing off down the steps.

"Here's a chance to try out my medical diagnosis and treatment machine," Su noted, her face beaming brightly. "I'll go get it and meet you downstairs!" She skipped off after Shinobu.

Naru and Keitaro picked Jake up from his sides while Kitsune braced his head with her hands. Motoko stood there with a blank expression, dumbfounded and feeling helpless as her friends carted Jake away. After they made their way carefully down the stairs back into the inn, Motoko glanced down at she shinai in her hand, noticing a small drop of blood on the weapon where it struck Jake's head.

"What have I done?" Motoko asked herself. She dropped the practice weapon in disgust, the reinforced bamboo stick clanging against the wooden floor.

* * *

A/N: Finally caught up. Time to write some new content for this story now. Again, thanks to Lunar Knite for beta-reading for me. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, everyone.


	15. Truths

Love's Redemption: Truths

From somewhere deep within the misty haze, a peaceful feeling spread across the young man's soul like a merry bonfire springing out of the darkest depths of the coldest of winter nights. It was a nostalgic feeling, when his life remained perfect order, when he knew exactly what he wanted and where he was going. When he had yet to experience the tragedy of losing the one he held most dear.

He knew he was dreaming, but that did nothing to keep him from relishing in the bliss of the moment. He had this dreams many times over the course of the past year, but he had experienced it less and less these past few months. This could be the very last time.

The remembrance of every sensation: the softness of her touch, the sweetness of her scent, and the taste of her lips. As his recollections of her faded and were replaced with new memories by the harsh cruelty of time, only in this place could he experience these things. Soon enough, he would lose this sanctuary as well.

A voice called out his name from the ether, a well-learned signal that the dream was reaching its conclusion and he would soon wake.

"No! Not yet! Just a while longer!" he screamed, but his voice was swallowed into the void.

His soundless cry unheeded, the voice repeated his name, but this voice was much different from the one before. Usually, the voice that called his name was garbled, as though he was underwater. This time, the voice was as clear as a bell in his head. And it was not her voice, as it usually was…

Jake opened his eyes, squinting at the brightness that assaulted him. A blurry silhouette of what appeared to be a face was before his eyes. "Jake…"

He blinked rapidly, his eyes beginning to adjust to the light as his consciousness returned. A hand brushed the hair at his scalp, another warmly caressing his cheek. These hands… they were not hers, but the feeling was the same as those days that had long since passed. Hauntingly, frighteningly similar. The very same.

His vision at last cleared, he looked towards the ceiling, and upon the face of a woman hovering over him only a foot away. Her hair cascaded down her crown like a waterfall, her golden eyes sparkling as she gazed down at him, wearing a smile he swore he had seen once before. "Kitsune," he muttered.

In the next second, as Jake returned to full consciousness, a multitude of thoughts ran through his head, none as pleasant as the thoughts he had in the previous moment. Glancing down, he saw his feet dangling over the armrest of a sofa. Turning his head to one side, he realized his head was resting between a pair of legs. His body lurched before his mind had the time to process this combined information.

"Oh, no you don't," Kitsune rebuked him, wrapping her arms around his body as he tried to rise and pulled him back down onto her lap.

Just as Jake wondered why Kitsune was going out of her way to keep him in such an embarrassing position, he understood when he felt as though a bomb had just exploded inside his skull, making the migraine headache he had earlier in the morning feel as though it were only a minor nuisance.

He cried out, raising a hand to his forehead. He was about to ask what had happened, but he then recalled his earlier tussle with Motoko. "I must have lost, huh?"

"Yup," Kitsune replied softly. "Rather spectacularly, I might add."

"I don't really remember it, but I sure as hell can feel it now." After a moment's silence in which Kitsune continued to brush her fingers over Jake's forehead and scalp, he said, "That's too bad."

"Why do you say that?"

Cracking the faintest of smiles, Jake said, "Because I would have liked to cop that feel."

Kitsune laughed. "Yeah, I guess that is too bad, isn't it?"

"Then again, it is your fault that I lost."

"I guess that's true. I suppose I owe you one, then."

"In that case," Jake said as he removed his hand from his head and moved it towards Kitsune's chest.

A sharp slapping sound echoed through the room as Kitsune smacked Jake's hand away. "Nope!"

"Ouch!" Jake exclaimed, rubbing his smarting hand. "Cheapskate."

They laughed with one another, so much so that it became painful for one of them in particular. "Ouch, haha, don't make me laugh, heh, it hurts my head," Jake said, clutching at his head again.

The intimate moment was dispelled with the sound of someone clearing her throat. Jake and Kitsune snapped her heads away from each other and saw, well, the entire household looking at them.

"H-how long have you all been standing there?" Kitsune asked.

Jake took his time sitting up as Naru said with a knowing smile, "Long enough, I think."

"Don't start, Naru," Kitsune warned her friend off with a threatening look.

"What? I didn't see anything strange at all. Right, Keitaro?" Naru nudged her boyfriend in the ribs.

"Nope, nothing strange at all!"

Jake, holding his head in his hands, shook his head and chuckled. "You guys don't let up for a minute, do you?"

"Alright, let Doctor Su take a look," Su said, holding what looked like a pistol in her hand.

Jake removed his hands from his head just long enough to see a gun pointed at his head and he instantly recoiled. "What in the hell is that? Don't point that thing at me!"

Su laughed innocently. "Don't worry. This is my new "Temporal Remedy Pistol Mk III". It won't hurt a bit!"

"Is that what you wanted to show me earlier?" Jake asked.

Su scratched her head. "Well, sort of. I have a full body version in my room, and this is still only a prototype."

Jake lowered his hands. "Are you sure that thing isn't going to hurt me?"

"It's guaranteed safe! Trust me!"

Jake looked to the others, who either shook their heads or wore grim expressions. Way to inspire confidence, guys, he thought. "Alright then. Just…be careful with that, alright."

"Of course. Who are you talking to here?"

A mad scientist, Jake thought, though he dared not say it aloud.

As Su worked her "magic", Mutsumi stepped forward. "Uh, I need to apologize, Ja-kun. I didn't mean to cause any trouble."

"Couldn't you tell I was just kidding around with you?" Jake asked.

"I did. It's just that no one could tell that I was playing along, and before I knew it, you and Motoko-chan were already fighting. Sorry, guys, I really didn't mean for things to turn out like this."

Jake tried to shake his head, but Su grabbed at his neck with her free hand. "Stay still," she ordered him. "This is delicate work, you know."

"Sorry, Su. Don't worry about it too much, Mutsumi. I'm sure she and I were going to have it out eventually, anyway."

Jake looked towards Motoko, who turned her face away from him. His eyes might have been deceiving him, but he could have sworn he noticed a touch of color in her cheeks. "I guess I might have lost control of my temper. I'm sorry, Motoko. I'll try to make sure it doesn't happen again."

Motoko hesitated, then raised her chin and struck a haughty pose. "Make sure that it doesn't."

"Oh well, at least no one got hurt," Kitsune said with a short laugh, which Jake cut off by giving her a nasty look.

"Hey, I said don't move!" Su yanked at Jake's chin, pulling his head back to its original position.

"No one got hurt too badly, that is…"

After a few minutes of back-and-forth between the tenants, Su finally let Jake's head go. "All right, all done!"

Jake raised his hand to the side of his head and gingerly touched the spot where the knot had been just moments before. "It's gone?" There was no pain. Whatever Su had done it must have been gradual, since Jake was unable to determine exactly when his head stopped hurting.

"There's no bump on the noggin' that can stand up against my invention," Su said haughtily, twirling the pistol about on her finger.

"That's amazing, Kaolla!" Shinobu exclaimed.

"I know, right?"

"How is that even possible?

"I'd explain, but it wouldn't make any sense," Su said with a shrug of her shoulders as she returned the pistol to its case.

"All I know is I feel a lot better, so thanks a lot, Su. You're a lifesaver."

"Aw, shucks," Su replied with a grin, embarrassed.

A sharp rapping of a fist on the front door turned the attention of the group. "Hello, everyone."

Kentaro, clad in an expensive-looking business suit, waved at no one in particular. "Is Kitsune around?"

"I'm here," Kitsune called out, standing up.

Jake noticed her steal a glance in his direction before she stepped away, and he felt a dull pain in his chest when she stepped through the group and greeted her boyfriend with a peck on the lips.

"See you guys later," Kitsune said, waving goodbye.

The ache in Jake's chest amplified when he noticed Kitsune wrap the hands that had just been caressing his face ten minutes ago around Kentaro's arm as they walked out of the inn.

"Jake-san?"

Jake looked down at his open hands…

"Um…Jake-san, what's the matter?"

He hated himself…

"Excuse me, Jake-san?"

Hearing Shinobu calling him for the first time, he raised his head in surprise. "Yes, what is it, Shinobu?"

"Since breakfast was a bust this morning, would you like me to cook up lunch now, or do you want to wait until later?"

He looked at the others, who were all staring at him, then turned his attention back onto the blue-haired teen. "I'm pretty hungry. If everyone's in agreement, I'd say go ahead and make it now."

Nodding like bobblehead dolls, all agreed that eating now would be better than later.

"Alright, I'll get to it then. If you wanted, Jake, you and Urashima-sempai could use the bath before lunch is ready."

"Sounds good to me," Keitaro said, giving a thumbs-up.

"Okay, then," Jake agreed.

After washing up, Keitaro and Jake lounged in the hot spring, which was particularly relaxing after the tension of the morning's events.

"Thanks for saving my ass today," Keitaro said.

"Really? You're thanking me for what I did? If it were me, I'd have scolded the crap out of you for that."

"That girl, I tell you. She says she doesn't like men, but she knows exactly what to do to push your buttons and piss you off. And I thought she might have been getting more comfortable with you, but…"

"I don't get her at all. One minute she acts cordial, and the next she's trying to rip out my throat," Jake said, shaking his head in frustration.

"Maybe you just need to spend more time with her or something," Keitaro suggested, taking off his glasses to rub his eyes with his forearm. "But don't feel bad. It took a year for her to not reach for her sword every time we ran into each other."

"I'll have to think about it," Jake said.

"Speaking of thinking about it, can I ask you a serious question?"

"Sure," Jake said.

"And you'll answer honestly?"

"Of course."

"What do you think of Kitsune-san?"

"What about her?"

"You like her, don't you?" The way Keitaro phrased the question made it sound more like a statement than an inquiry.

Jake glanced at his friend and smirked.

"You said you'd answer honestly."

"What makes you think I like her?"

Keitaro laughed out loud. "Oh come on, now. You mean other than the thunderstorm of sparks flying between you two whenever you are together? Everyone can tell, you know."

Jake sighed, interlaced his hands and rested the back of his head against them and said, "Does it really matter whether I do or not? She's seeing someone else."

"Of course it matters!" Keitaro exclaimed.

His friend's sudden outburst caused Jake to flinch, and he lowered his arms back into the water. "What's gotten into you? Why do you even care?"

"Because I'm your friend, you asshole!" Keitaro countered angrily. "I know you've been carrying a lot of weight on your shoulders, and you of all people deserve to be happy after all the shit you've been through these last few years."

Keitaro's words struck Jake like a blow to the stomach. He had no idea that Keitaro felt so strongly about his recent strife, and despite his harsh words, he appreciated his sentiment. "Thanks, man. That means a lot to me. But that doesn't give me the right to try to steal someone else's girl."

Keitaro ran a wet hand through his hair, slicking his mane back against his scalp. "Look, I've known Kitsune-san for a long time now, and Narusegawa is her best friend. She doesn't look at him the same way she looks at you. She's never looked at anyone the way she looks at you."

That night in Kitsune's apartment, and today when he woke up with his head in her lap. As his mind's eye recalled the images of her angelic smile…indeed, there was no reason to question Keitaro's words. While his heart soared with the possibility of Kitsune having romantic feelings towards him, the obstacles and the distance separating them remained far too great. "I hear what you're saying, Keitaro, but I just can't do that."

"While I disagree with you, I can understand," Keitaro relented. "Anyway, you've got bigger fish to fry right now."

"Huh?"

"Like what you're going to do about Motoko-chan?"

"Oh," Jake said, chuckling lightly. "I think I have a good idea of what to do about that."

An idea he had, but it took Jake several days to build up the gumption to take the first step in hatching his plan. Just standing in front of the swordswoman's door sent a frigid tingle down the young man's spine as he reached out to knock on the door. "Get a hold of yourself, man," Jake quietly berated himself for his cowardice. He knocked sharply on the door three times, and instantly felt the urge to turn tail and head for the hills.

Unfortunately for him, the door slid open a foot within two seconds, and a head of messy dark hair appeared from opposite the portal. "What do you want?" Motoko asked, her voice much more raspy than usual. Had she not answered the door so quickly, judging by the state of her hair and voice, Jake might have thought he had just interrupted her while she was sleeping.

Jake took a breath, and then half a step towards the girl. "I'd like to talk. Are you busy?"

"Of course I'm busy. Ronins can't afford a day of rest." The way the young woman inflected the word ronin as though it were a stigma caused Jake's eyebrow to twitch.

"Even still, can you spare a moment?" Motoko gave the American a look that suggested he take the hint and leave, but he had expected such a reaction. "It's important," he added.

Motoko pursed her lips and breathed out loudly through her nose. "Very well, then. Give me just a moment." Without waiting for a reply, Motoko retracted her head and slid her door shut.

Jake leaned against the far wall, waiting impatiently for Motoko to emerge from her room as 'a moment' lapsed into five minutes. As he began to think that she might have just told him to wait only to ignore him, the door before him slid open fully. Motoko had fixed her hair and changed into her usual practice attire, and she bored holes through him as though he were her worst enemy.

Jake knew he had his work cut out for him, but now he wondered if there was even any point to trying. "You didn't need to fix yourself up for me," he began, trying to break the ice.

Motoko folded her arms across her chest. "I would not do anything of the sort for someone the likes of you."

Keitaro was right. She did know how to press the right buttons. "Look, I'm not here to start another argument with you. In fact, it's quite the opposite."

Motoko squinted at the young man, but the lack of verbal reply suggested to him that she was not averse to hearing what he had to say. "I know we don't see eye to eye on a lot of things."

Motoko nodded her head sagely.

"And I know you don't really care for me that much."

Another nod.

"But the fact remains that I'm still the manager of this place."

The nodding stopped.

"And, like it or not, we're going to be around each other for a while. If it's possible, I'd like us to at least try to get to a point where we don't want to rip each other apart."

Motoko cast an appraising glance at Jake, and decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. "What would you suggest?" The way the man standing in front of her door grinned made her immediately regret her decision.

The very next morning, before the sun had yet to peek from beyond the mountains in the east, Jake stood in the lobby of the building, leaning against the wall, dressed in his running sweats. Suppressing a yawn, he looked at his heart rate monitor on his wrist. The time read six-fourteen. Not very punctual, is she, he thought.

After a few minutes of fumbling with the zipper of his sweater, he heard footfalls on the staircase. "About damn time," he grumbled, wondering if the swordswoman was keeping him waiting on purpose. However, when Motoko came into his view, he instantly understood why she had been late.

"I, uh, sorry to keep you waiting," Motoko said quietly, fidgeting about like a five-year-old that needed to use the bathroom.

A short-sleeved white t-shirt and blue bloomers…tube socks and track shoes…had he not seen it with his own two eyes, Jake never would have believed an outfit like that existed. Sure, he had seen it on the late night anime that he came across and watched out of sheer boredom when he suffered from bouts of insomnia, but he wrote it off as a silly cliché.

"Stop staring at me," Motoko whined, pulling down on the end of her shirt with both hands as though it would do anything to hide her embarrassing state of dress.

"Is that…all you have to wear?" Jake asked, choosing his words with extreme caution, though he could not help but realize that Motoko had a shapelier figure than she appeared when dressed in her normal wardrobe.

"I do not normally indulge in this form of exercise, and as such, my kendo uniform is unsuitable for such movement."

Jake nodded his head, understanding the young woman's plight. "If you're uncomfortable, I have some spare sweats you can borrow, if you want." After seeing the expression on Motoko's face change from surprise to anger as he spoke, he quickly recanted. "Never mind, they probably wouldn't fit you anyway. Too big for you," he added that last sentence quickly.

"Should we go, then?" Motoko asked, staring down at her feet.

Jake was flabbergasted by Motoko's attitude. He had thought her a rock that could not be shaken. But her current state of embarrassment would have been obvious to anyone. "Yeah, sure."

Jake, now well used to being alone during his morning run, was at first apprehensive about what exactly he should do around his newfound partner, but eventually, he fell back into his normal routine. He took the steps down into town two at a time to warm up. Upon reaching the bottom, he began to stretch his legs. He eyeballed Motoko, who was looking around with her arms folded across her chest. She looked like a fish out of water.

"Aren't you going to stretch out? You don't want to pull anything."

"What I choose to do or not do is none of your concern," was Motoko's stern reply.

"Ouch, take it easy on me, will you?" Jake asked, and then switched legs in his hamstring stretch. "I just don't want to see you get hurt."

"I'll be fine."

"I'll have to take your word on that then. You'd better not cramp up on me, though. I don't want to have to carry you halfway across town."

"As if I'd allow myself to be disgraced in such a manner!"

Jake sighed. Keitaro was right. She was as stubborn as an ox. There was no use trying to make nice with her right now.

After a few minutes of limbering up, Jake felt sufficiently loose. "Shall we?"

Motoko brushed past Jake's shoulder, taking the lead. She took off like a shot, breaking into a full sprint immediately.

"Hey, what the heck are you doing? This isn't a race!" Jake called out to no avail. "Whatever," he mumbled, starting after the young woman. He might as well have been yelling at a wall.

The run ended up being a silly game of cat and mouse. Keeping the girl in sight was difficult enough, but whenever he sped up in an attempt to catch her, Motoko sped up to keep her distance from him as though he were something poisonous.

"Good morning, Jake-san," a kindly old lady called out to the American as he approached. The old lady's morning ritual of airing out her futon coincided most days with Jake's morning run. After seeing him run past her home for a few weeks, she finally called out to him and the two got to know each other quite well. Now they greet each other every morning.

"Good morning, Tsurugi-chan," Jake replied between heaving breaths.

"That girl that just passed by, is she someone you know?" the curious old woman asked.

"Yeah, sort of," Jake said as he ran past.

Tsurugi chuckled softly. "Ah, the joys of youth."

"You have no idea. See you tomorrow!"

"Good luck with that one, Jake-san!"

Good luck…at this rate, Jake thought, he was probably going to need it.

* * *

A/N: Wow, I didn't realize it's been so long since I last uploaded a chapter for this long-lost story. Anyone even still reading this, or even give a damn about it? Let me know if you still care by leaving me a little note in a review. I still have some material I can use for this story. Thanks for reading, guys. It means a lot! C


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